The Verkhovna Rada declared Russia to be an aggressor country. 271 members of the Parliament voted for the according statement addressed to the UN, the EU Parliament, the PACE, the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, the GUAM Parliamentary Assembly and foreign national parliaments.
“The Verkhovna Rada declares the Russian Federation an aggressor state and calls for Ukraine’s international partners to prevent impunity of those culpable for the crimes against humanity, which have been committed since the beginning of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine,” emphasizes the statement.
The Parliament is also asking that “the Russian Federation be declared as the aggressor state, which supports terrorism and blocks the work of the UN Security Council in various ways, thus threatening international peace and security. Also, declare the so-called ‘DNR’ and ‘LNR’ terrorist organizations.”
Besides, the members of the Parliament are asking to limit the powers of the Russian PACE delegation until the Russian Federation stops ignoring international demands.
The Verkhovna Rada also asked for military support with the goal of increasing Ukraine’s defense capabilities, as well as additional humanitarian aid.
The Parliament is calling for the international community to acknowledge the fact of aggression against Ukraine, the occupation of its territory and intensify the demands to return to internationally-established borders.”
“Ukraine remains an object of Russia’s military aggression, which it conducts, among other things, through the support and insurance of mass terrorist attacks. Within less that two weeks’ time, as a result of military shooting and actions supported by Russia of the terrorists in Volnovakha, Donetsk and Mariupol, over 50 Ukrainian civilians have died,” says the statement.
“The OSCE mission confirms that the shelling of Mariupol was done from territories under control of terrorists, and the logic of the tragic events testifies to it being a planned bloody provocation, aimed to intimidate the civilian population,” says the statement.
“These tragic events confirm that Russia and the terrorists it supports do not wish to execute the Minsk Accords, which as of today, remain the only international acknowledged basis for peaceful regulation,” notes the document.
“Since the begging of aggression in the end of February 2014, the Russian Federation has been systematically violating the norms of international law, human rights, including the rights to life of Ukraine’s civilians who have become hostage to the terrorists on Donbas occupied territory,” says the statement.
“The cynicism of the Kremlin’s aggression, which includes support of terrorists at the state level, turns the murder of innocent civilians into mundanity. Russia’s involvement in such terrorist acts, such as the downing of a civilian passenger plane, the tragedy in Volnovakha, Donetsk and Mariupol, is evident,” says the statement.
