EU politicians urge UN to intervene over Russia's genocide of Ukrainians in occupied territories

Czech MEP Tomas Zdechovsky (EPP) and Deputy Chairman of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Czech Republic Jan Bartosek made this statement in an interview with Guildhall, commenting on a recent resolution by the Czech Senate Committee on Defense and International Affairs regarding the forced assimilation of Ukrainians in the temporarily occupied territories, Ukrinform reports.

They said a UN-led international mission should be deployed to these areas to monitor human rights violations.

"Russia is a criminal state and what the Russians are doing to Ukrainians in the occupied territories, assimilation and all its forms, forced passportization, forced conscription into the army, Russification - this is genocide. All such actions must be investigated by the international community and those involved in such genocide must be held accountable. The International Criminal Tribunal is the body that must give an assessment in accordance with the norms of international criminal law," Zdechovsky MEP stressed.

He also noted that the adoption of a European Parliament resolution on Russia's crimes against Ukrainians in the temporarily occupied territories would be an important and constructive step.

"Twenty-seven countries are EU member states and such a resolution at the level of the European Parliament will be a constructive step," the politician said.

Bartosek, in turn, stressed the urgent need to deploy an international mission under UN auspices to the occupied territories of Ukraine to ensure human rights compliance.

"Independent and credible monitoring is essential for documenting crimes, protecting civilians, and providing evidence for future international prosecutions. The United Nations, with its global legitimacy, is the most suitable body to oversee such a mission. Even if Russia attempts to obstruct its work, the very existence of such an initiative would send a strong signal: the world is watching, and perpetrators will not escape accountability," he said.