Galyna Kolotnytska might be refusing to speak publicly since her return from Tripoli last Sunday, but eyewitnesses say the personal nurse of Libyan leader Moammar Gaddafi made her feelings about her embattled former boss clear during the return flight to Kiev.
As the Wall Street Journal is reporting, Vladislav Voloshyn, a journalist who was on the flight along with around 185 Ukrainian evacuees, said Kolotnytska refused to answer his questions, but quickly jumped to the defense of her embattled former boss, whom she cryptically referred to as "Papa."
Voloshyn said Kolotnytska cried out, "Papa is the best!" in Russian while on board, apparently referring to Gaddafi. "She said life would be worse for her without Papa," he added.
The Telegraph quotes another passenger, who claims Kolotnytska also said, "Papa is good and Papa is eternal...Gaddafi will be victorious and in one and a half to two months I will return there."
Described in a diplomatic cable published by WikiLeaks as a "voluptuous blonde" who "travel[s] everywhere" with Gaddafi, Kolotnytska is also reported to have left her apartment with her 20-year-old daughter Tatyana in an effort to avoid an onslaught of international media which had set up camp nearby, and may be holed up in a private home in a neighboring village.
Though Kolotnytska has slammed the allegations, the cable also quoted unnamed sources as claiming the 38-year-old nurse and Gaddafi were engaged in "a romantic relationship." While acknowledging her mother's job was tough, Tatyana also denied the rumors in an earlier interview. "My mother is close to [Gaddafi]," she said. "She says he's a kind person, but can be strict when necessary."