Fra:
Lesia Vasylenko <[email protected]>
Dato:
25. februar 2022 kl. 15.10.04 CET
Emne: Call to action from Ukrainian Members of Parliament
Dear colleagues
As of 24-th February 2022 Russia has begun a full-scale military invasion of Ukraine. On
that morning, Ukrainians in Kramatorsk, Kharkiv, Kyiv, Odesa, Kherson, Brovary, Mykolaiv have
woken up to the sound of explosions and shooting.
In his statement, Vladimir Putin declared war on Ukraine saying Russia is doing it in self-
defence and alleged that this invasion seeks to protect the population in the Donbas.
Airports in Ivano-Frankivsk, Lutsk and Dnipro were shelled.
Military units in Lviv, Zhytomyr, Ivano-Frankivsk, Vinnytsia, Luhansk, Khmelnytsky, Kyiv,
and Kherson regions were under missile fire.
Russia's cynical aggression escalates by the hour. The number of victims grows
–
both
military and civilian. Just in the first 24 hours of this war, Ukraine has incurred the following losses:
137 dead, 316 injured.
The Ukrainians armed forces have been countering Russian aggression for eight years
since February 20, 2014, when Russia annexed Crimea and occupied Eastern Ukraine.
Today, the Ukrainians army is fighting back fierce attacks in Kyiv, Kherson, Kharkiv,
Chernihiv, Donetsk, and Luhansk regions.
And today, we, as members of the Parliament of Ukraine, leaders of Inter-Parliamentary
friendship groups and members of Ukraine's delegations to the PACE, OSCE, IPU, NATO, appeal
to you, our colleagues, to support Ukraine.
Immediate and decisive action is necessary to save Ukraine and our people. We ask you to
call on your government and head of state to take the following action:
1.
Provide
massive defence assistance
to Ukraine and, most importantly, military
equipment in the
field of anti-air defence,
as well as secure communication means for
Ukrainian army.
2.
Impose
sanctions of unprecedented magnitude
and force against Russian
state, oligarchs and all Putin-affiliated elite. Most importantly, extend sanctions to their
family members and revoke their visas. Stop issuing new visas to Russian citizens. Cut
off from the SWIFT, impose an embargo on Russian oil and gas, block Russian
airlines, sea cargo, passenger companies, block access to ports for Russian
companies.
3.
Provide
weaponry for territorial defence forces and volunteers
willing to resist
Russian aggression and occupation.
4.
Initiate the
establishment of a no-flight zone
over the territory of Ukraine, either
by NATO or UN. Russian aviation now constitutes the crucial Russian asset to incur
irreparable harm to Ukraine. Bold action can change the situation.
5.
Convene an
extraordinary session of the UN General Assembly
and:
a.
condemn the aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine;