Moldova’s parliament condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as “genocide” on 30 May in connection with Moscow’s treatment of children in occupied areas.
According to Euractive, while 60 deputies in the 101-seat assembly backed the declaration, the assembly’s Moscow-friendly opposition parties refused to participate in the vote.
Citing Ukrainian government figures, Parliament’s deputy speaker, Doina Gherman, documented “the numbers of children killed or missing in the conflict, along with nearly 20,000 taken away to Russia.”
Opposition member Reghina Apostolova accused Sandu’s Party of Action and Solidarity (PAS) of double standards, saying “the chamber should also denounce sufferings of children in the former Yugoslavia.” Communist Deputy Oleg Reidman urged caution, stating “genocide was a legal term with criteria to be met.”
Radu Marian of the ruling PAS rejected opposition objections, arguing, “These are our neighbours. Thousands of Ukrainian children, the children of refugees, have been housed here.”
According to the article, “Russia rejected allegations that it has abducted or deported Ukrainian children, saying they have been taken to safe areas, away from the conflict.”
The International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant in March 2023 for Russian President Vladimir Putin, “citing the forced transfer of children to Russia.”
What countries have denounced Russia’s actions in Ukraine as constituting genocide:
- United States: In April 2022, President Joe Biden accused Russia of committing “genocide” in Ukraine, stating that “Putin’s brutal assault is behind a gruesome attempt to simply re-write the borders of Ukraine.” This was the first time a US president declared an ongoing conflict was genocide.
- Canada: In April 2022, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stated, “There are official policies of massive human rights violations, and an intentional targeting of civilians is something that is horrific and deserves to be called a war crime, and depending on the analyses that continue to happen, could become genocide.”
- United Kingdom: In April 2023, the UK Parliament approved a non-binding motion that declared Russia was committing “genocide” against the Ukrainian people.
- Poland: Polish leaders like Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki have repeatedly accused Russia of carrying out “genocide” through its bombardment of Ukrainian cities.
- Baltic States: The parliaments of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania have all passed resolutions accusing Russia of committing genocide or acts of genocide in Ukraine.
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