US Lawmakers Introduce Resolution Recognizing Russia’s Actions in Ukraine as Genocide

A bipartisan group of US House Representatives introduced a resolution to Congress recognizing Russia’s actions in Ukraine as acts of genocide, Ukrainian Ambassador to the United States Oksana Markarova announced on January 7.

“All of Russia’s crimes must be reflected in US law to ensure the punishment of Russian criminals and prevent such horrific acts in the future,” she wrote.

The resolution’s preamble outlines that the war crimes committed by Russian forces in Ukraine, including the forced deportation of hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians—among them children—to Russia and temporarily occupied territories, meet the criteria specified in Article II of the UN Genocide Convention.

The document’s operative section condemns Russia for committing acts of genocide.

It urges the United States, in cooperation with NATO and EU allies, to support the Ukrainian government in preventing further genocidal acts against the Ukrainian people.

Additionally, the resolution backs tribunals and international criminal investigations to hold Russian political leaders and military personnel accountable.

Ukrainian ambassador noted that the list of Russia’s war crimes in Ukraine continues to grow daily. Key figures illustrate the severity of the ongoing atrocities:

• Over 170,090 cases related to Russian aggression have been opened by Ukraine’s Prosecutor General’s Office, including 151,698 investigations into war crimes.

• 13,729 civilians were killed and 26,706 wounded, including 596 children killed and 1,728 children injured.

• 4,057 criminal cases involve war crimes against children, with over 19,000 Ukrainian children forcibly relocated by Russian forces.

• 331 cases of war-related sexual violence have been recorded, including 213 against women and 118 against men.

• Russian forces have destroyed or damaged 158,434 residential buildings, 3,739 educational institutions, 908 medical facilities, 643 cultural sites, 204 religious buildings, and 8,233 energy and communication facilities.

• Thousands of Ukrainians remain imprisoned in Russian facilities, with 16,000 officially reported as missing. These numbers are expected to rise as Ukrainian forces liberate more towns and villages.

Markarova expressed gratitude to the lawmakers for advancing the resolution, emphasizing the importance of addressing Russian crimes within American legislation.

Earlier, the Swiss House of Representatives officially recognized the Great Ukrainian Famine of 1932-1933 as genocide against the Ukrainian civilian population.