The actions of the Russian Federation during the war against Ukraine correspond to the points of the UN Convention on the Prevention of the Crime of Genocide, in particular, the killing of civilians, the deportation of children, and the deliberate destruction of conditions for life. This was stated by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Latvia, Baiba Braže, during the 11th emergency special session of the UN General Assembly, as reported by UNN.
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Braže emphasized that Russia is systematically implementing actions directly provided for in Article 2 of the Genocide Convention.
Russia has committed acts provided for in Article 2 of the Genocide Convention. First, the killing of members of the group. According to the UN, in the past year alone, Russia has sharply escalated attacks against the civilian population of Ukraine.
According to her, the scale of the attacks indicates deliberate terror against civilians.
Two thousand missiles, 54 thousand long-range drones, strategic bombers – all of this was used against civilians. Last year, the number of killed and wounded Ukrainian civilians increased by 31%
The Minister also emphasized the second point of the Convention – causing serious physical and mental harm.
She stressed that almost 10 million Ukrainians have been forced to leave their homes. Several million are under illegal Russian occupation, where they are forced to abandon their language, history, and culture.
She added that international organizations are recording massive war crimes.
UN reports confirm war crimes, torture, and sexual violence by the Russian army. According to UNICEF, more than 3,200 Ukrainian children have died during the war. In the past year alone, the number of child casualties increased by 10%
It should be recalled that European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stated that Ukraine is on the right path to EU membership. She noted the high pace of reforms, despite the war, but did not name specific dates for accession.