Committee on Foreign Affairs of the Seimas strongly condemned the crimes committed by the Russian army in Bucha, Irpin and elsewhere in Ukraine: these crimes constitute a genocide of the Ukrainian nation

Press release, 7 April 2022

In response to the massive brutal crimes committed by the Russian army against civilians in Bucha, Irpin, Hostomel, Mariupol and elsewhere in Ukraine, the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the Seimas adopted a Statement calling on the international community to unanimously condemn the aggression and war crimes committed by Russia and to classify them as a genocide of the Ukrainian nation.

‘The International Criminal Court has already opened an investigation into the war crimes committed in Ukraine and we demand that all, not only Vladimir Putin, Alexander Lukashenko and the commanders of the Russian army who gave orders to kill civilians or failed to stop the massacre of civilians, but also ordinary soldiers be brought to justice for the bloodshed and destroyed lives of innocent Ukrainian people,’ said Laima Liucija Andrikienė, Chairperson of the Committee on Foreign Affairs.

‘Russia’s actions are incompatible with its membership of the United Nations and the UN Human Rights Council, therefore, we call for the removal of Russia from these and other international organisations,’ Ms Andrikienė stressed.

The Committee Statement underlines that the sanctions imposed on the Kremlin regime are insufficient and that therefore the Euro-Atlantic community and its partners need to introduce comprehensive sanctions already now in order to significantly weaken the Kremlin regime and stop the Russian aggression. The Committee calls on the Member States of the European Union to immediately halt the imports of Russian oil and gas, impose a ban on Russian vessels entering any EU ports, and suspend all land transport to and from Russia in all EU Member States.

The Statement contains an appeal of Lithuania’s parliamentarians to international organisations and parliaments of democratic states to urge their governments to step up the military, financial, humanitarian and diplomatic support for Ukraine, to unanimously support initiatives condemning Russia’s military actions in Ukraine and isolating Russia from international and regional organisations, and to adopt equivalent decisions and impose equivalent sanctions against Belarus as a party to the military aggression.

See the text of the Statement attached.

Laura Plyniuvienė, Advisor, Office of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, tel. +370 5 239 6802, e-mail [email protected]