The leadership of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine and deputies of the Ukrainian parliament in a joint statement call on international partners to respond to Russia’s shelling of civilian infrastructure and the Okhmatdyt children’s hospital and to recognize such actions as a terrorist attack. The targeted missile strike by Russian terrorists on the largest and oldest children’s hospital in Ukraine was called unprecedented in its cruelty and cynicism by the Rada.
This is stated in a document published on the Verkhovna Rada website. The deputies emphasized that this war crime requires a special reaction from the world.
“Today, July 8, 2024, the Russian Federation committed one of the bloodiest war crimes during its illegal, unprovoked and unjustified war of aggression against Ukraine,” the statement said.
The Verkhovna Rada stated that the target of the enemy attack was peaceful Ukrainian cities, where Russian missiles hit residential buildings, medical facilities and civilian infrastructure.
“Unprecedented in its cruelty and cynicism was the targeted missile strike by the Russians on the largest and oldest children’s hospital in Ukraine - the Okhmatdyt National Children’s Specialized Hospital, where thousands of children from all over the country are being treated. This is a terrible crime against the least protected and most vulnerable - sick children “has no explanation and is striking in its inhuman nature,” the politicians emphasized.
The deputies recalled that since the beginning of the large-scale invasion, Russia has completely destroyed 214 medical infrastructure facilities that cannot be restored, and damaged another 1,630 facilities.
The attack by the Russian invaders on Okhmatdyt requires a tough reaction from the United Nations Security Council, the Verkhovna Rada noted.
“But now the UN Security Council is chaired by a terrorist state, the Russian Federation, which, contrary to the UN Charter, has acquired the status of a member of the UN and the status of a permanent member of its Security Council,” the deputies recalled.
This indicates the degradation of the system of international organizations and necessitates the search for new effective security mechanisms, the Verkhovna Rada indicated.
“Today – on the eve of the Washington NATO summit – we regard this criminal attack by the Russian Federation as a cynical signal to the Alliance, dictated by the Russians’ confidence in their complete impunity. This terrorist attack requires a special response from the Allies. Further delay in taking effective measures to counter Russia’s aggression will only push the aggressor to scale up his crimes and the continuation of genocidal practices," the statement said.
The MPs added: With today’s attack, Russia has shown that it does not seek peace or negotiations and does not intend to give up its aggressive goal of destroying Ukraine.
In this regard, parliamentarians call on international partners to provide Ukraine with all the necessary weapons, including: Patriot and SAMP/T air defense systems, missiles for them, long-range weapons, artillery systems and shells, UAVs and electronic warfare systems in sufficient quantities, as well as lift restrictions on the use this technology so that our state can protect itself from Russian terror.
In addition, Ukrainian politicians called on the governments and parliaments of other states, universal and regional international organizations and their parliamentary institutions to immediately respond to the “barbaric attack committed by the Russian Federation and recognize it as a terrorist act.”
The statement also calls on the international community to take all possible measures to investigate this and other crimes and to bring to justice and fairly punish all those responsible.