"Russia's propaganda, its highest state bodies, officials, and the entire state apparatus, following such directives from their leader, repeatedly called for the extermination of Ukrainians," Budanov said.The military intelligence chief noted that anti-Ukrainian sentiment has permeated all levels of Russian society.
"Genocide against Ukrainians is not only a state policy of Russia but also an enforced societal conviction imposed from the top," Budanov stated.Before the outbreak of the war in 2022, Russian occupiers were instructed on how to organize mass graves.
"Execution lists were to include Ukrainian language, literature, and history teachers, veterans of the Donbas war, journalists, scholars, writers, clergy of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine and other pro-Ukrainian denominations, public and political figures, as well as officials from state and local government bodies," Budanov revealed.Evidence of such orders and practices can be seen across occupied territories of Ukraine.
"We witnessed horrific mass crimes against Ukrainian citizens that shocked the world. The atrocities committed by Russian forces in Borodianka, Bucha, Hostomel, Izium, Mariupol, and numerous other towns and villages across Ukraine demonstrate that these synchronized actions were rooted in the clear doctrinal principles of Russia's genocidal policy," Budanov concluded.Earlier, the Center for National Resistance said that Russian authorities in occupied territories of Ukraine were preparing repressions against those commemorating the victims of the Holodomor in Ukraine. Read also:
- Politico: Biden compares Russia’s actions in Ukraine to Stalin’s Holodomor famine
- Holodomor 90th anniversary: Ukraine remembers victims of genocidal famine amid genocidal war
- Russia preparing to deport more children from occupied Ukrainian territories
- Ukrainian society displays high level of unity during wartime, survey finds