The European Parliament should declare the need to send international observers, whether representatives of the Red Cross or another humanitarian organization, to the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine and thus contribute to stopping the Russian Federation's practice of persecuting Ukrainians in the temporarily occupied territories (TOT), who are practically denied the right to exist.
This was stated by Helmut Brandstetter, a member of the European Parliament (Renew) from Austria, in a commentary by Guildhall.
«Although I was familiar with the statements of Vladislav Surkov (former Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation, who was among the key architects of the «Russian World» concept, the annexation of Crimea, and the start of the war against Ukraine in Donbas in 2014, – ed.) and Alexander Dugin (a Russian ultraconservative philosopher, ideologue of the «Russian World» and the «sacred war against the West», – ed.), and I understood their rhetoric, only in recent weeks have I begun to delve deeper into the details. And unfortunately, the logic behind their statements is becoming painfully clear: in their interpretation, you are either Russian – or you have no right to exist. And they formulate this openly and unambiguously. As an international community, we have failed to communicate this essence clearly enough. Many people in Europe still mistakenly perceive what is happening as an ordinary territorial conflict. But this is not merely a struggle over land. This is a war over the recognition of the Ukrainian people's right to exist as such. It is an existential confrontation. And sadly, we still do not communicate effectively enough about Ukraine’s history, culture, language, and identity to the rest of the world», — the politician stated.
«Unfortunately, Russia is not inclined to accept international initiatives. Nevertheless, I am convinced that the next convocation of parliament must consider the possibility of passing a corresponding resolution. We must declare: we want to send international observers — whether representatives of the Red Cross or another humanitarian organization — to obtain an objective picture of what is happening. If Russia refuses, this will be an important signal to the entire world. We talk a lot about the deportation and abduction of Ukrainian children. I have studied numerous reports, including those about young men being forcibly conscripted, abused, and coerced into military service. The scale of these humanitarian crimes is vast, yet we still speak about it too quietly. We must seek out options. As long as Russia blocks international monitoring, we are obligated to use every possible opportunity to convey the truth and increase the pressure», — the Austrian Member of the European Parliament concluded.
Earlier, Finnish MP Tytti Tuppurainen also stated that the West must hold the Russian Federation accountablefor crimes against Ukrainians. In her opinion, the international community must ensure that Russia is held responsible for the war crimes that continue to be committed on Ukrainian soil. The West must clearly acknowledge the sacrifices Ukraine has made and truly support its right to sovereignty, freedom, and the ability to determine its own future. To achieve this, it is essential to continue providing Ukraine with comprehensive and decisive support and to allocate resources toward developing Ukraine’s defense sector, ensuring that the country’s Armed Forces have everything they need to conduct a just defensive war.