The bombing of Ukrainian cities by Russia is a war crime that has no statute of limitations and falls under the jurisdiction of international courts.
This is stated in a joint statement of the presidents of 11 countries of Central and Eastern Europe, the Office of the President of the Republic of Poland has stated.
“Bombing of Ukrainian cities by Russia is a war crime”
“We, the presidents of Bulgaria, Montenegro, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, and Hungary, condemn the recent massive bombing of Ukrainian cities by Russia, which is a war crime under international law,” – the statement reads.
They recalled that war crimes and crimes against humanity have no statute of limitations and fall under the jurisdiction of courts around the world.
“On behalf of our countries, we demand Russia to immediately stop attacks on civilian objects. We will continue to make efforts to bring those responsible for today’s crime to justice,” the President emphasized.
Global protests against Russia’s terror missiles attack
Hundreds of people protested in several European capitals to condemn Russia’s missile strikes on Ukraine, the Ukrinform agency reported.
In front of the Russian Embassy in Warsaw, people demanded to declare Russian diplomats persona non grata, to recognize Russia as a terrorist state, and to provide Ukraine with weapons to defend its territory.
The Ukrainian community of Vienna and friends of Ukraine from other countries held a picket in front of the Embassy of the Russian aggressor state to condemn the missile terror of Russia, followed by a march through the city center.
A rally was held in front of the Embassy of the terrorist country of Russia in Riga, where participants protested against the terrorist actions of Russia, shelling of Kyiv, Dnipro, Lviv, Zaporizhzhia, Kharkiv, Kryvyi Rih, and other Ukrainian cities.
In Paris, a large anti-Russian rally was held in front of the Russian church and cultural center on the day of the massive Russian missile attack against Ukraine. Demonstrators chanted: “Stop genocide! Stop Putin!”, “Weapons to Ukraine!”, “Putin is a liar and murderer!”, “Russia is a terrorist state” and others.
In The Hague, a protest against Putin’s terror was held under the walls of the Dutch Parliament. People, in particular, chanted: “Russia is a terrorist state”, “Stop Russia, stop the war”, “Arm Ukraine”, “Air defense for Ukraine” and others. The purpose of the action is: to recognize Russia as a terrorist state.
Russian ambassador in Canada summoned
The Russian Ambassador to Canada was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to express condemnation of the shelling of Ukraine. Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly wrote about it on her Twitter page.
“Putin has once again attacked Ukrainian civilian infrastructure and Ukrainian civilians. This is a war crime. We have called the Russian ambassador to Canada to express our outrage directly,” Joly said.
British Prime Minister Liz Truss initiates an emergency summit of NATO member states because of Russian missile strikes on Ukraine. This was reported by Reuters.
Truss also intends to ask European politicians to increase sanctions pressure on Russia and more actively support Ukraine in the war with Russia.
OSCE condemned Russia’s attacks on civilian targets
The OSCE leaders, the OSCE Secretary General, the President, and the Secretary General of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly strongly condemned Russia’s attacks on civilian targets in Ukraine, which were aimed at “spreading terror and compensating for the failure to achieve tactical and strategic goals”.
This statement is posted on the website of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.
“The current OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Polish Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau, Swedish Prime Minister Ann Linde and Foreign Minister of North Macedonia Buyar Osmani, representing the OSCE Troika, as well as the President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly Margareta Cederfelt (Swedish MP), OSCE Secretary General Helga Maria Schmid and Secretary General of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly Roberto Montella strongly condemned Russia’s recent attacks on the population of Ukraine,” the statement reads.
UN condemned Russia’s aggression against Ukraine
The aggression of one country against another is incompatible with the UN Charter, said the President of the UN General Assembly, Hungarian diplomat Csaba Keresi.
He made this statement at a meeting of the emergency special session of the General Assembly, which is considering the draft resolution “Territorial integrity of Ukraine: Upholding the principles of the Charter of the United Nations”, which condemns the Russian pseudo-referendums on Ukrainian territory.
“Invasion of a neighbor is illegal,” he said. “Article 4 of the UN Charter states that all members shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state. And, of course, seizing the territories of other countries by force is illegal.”
EU and Canada want Russian perpetrators will be brought to justice
The President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen and the Prime Minister of Estonia Kaja Kallas condemned the massive missile attack of the Russian Federation on the cities of Ukraine and stated that the perpetrators will be brought to justice.
Von der Leyen and Kallas stated this in Narva, where, in particular, they discussed ways to strengthen the protection of the EU’s external borders.
After the Russian missile attacks on October 10, Canada will continue to strongly support Ukraine and seek accountability for Russia. This was stated by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Twitter.
“I am outraged by Russia’s continued attacks on Ukrainian civilians. This behavior is condemnable and only strengthens our resolve. We are determined to hold the Russian regime accountable and to support Ukraine – including through continued military assistance,” Trudeau said.
His words were supported by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Canada Melanie Joly, who held a telephone conversation with her Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba. “Russian missile attacks in Ukraine are shocking and terrifying. Attacks on civilians are a war crime. We will hold Russia accountable. Canada stands in solidarity with the people of Ukraine,” said Joly.
US want Putin and Russia to be held accountable for all their atrocities
Official Washington condemns the Russian missile attacks on peaceful Ukrainian cities and will continue to work with allies and partners to ensure that Putin and Russia are held accountable for all their atrocities. This is stated in the official statement of the head of the White House Joe Biden.
“The United States strongly condemns today’s Russian missile attacks on Ukraine, including Kyiv. These attacks killed and injured civilians and destroyed non-military targets,” the head of the American state stressed.
Biden stressed that the latest attacks were another confirmation of Putin’s cruelty, which unleashed a war against the Ukrainian people.
“These attacks only strengthen our commitment to support the people of Ukraine for as long as it takes. Together with our allies and partners, we will continue to impose costs on Russia, hold Putin and Russia accountable for their atrocities and war crimes, and provide the support Ukrainian forces need to defend their country and freedom,” the U.S. President said.
“Russia has reached a new level of atrocity in its war”
Through massive rocket attacks on Ukrainian cities, killing civilians, and destroying civilian infrastructure, Russia has reached a new level of atrocity in its aggressive war against Ukraine and its people. This was stated by the President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe Tini Cox in Strasbourg while speaking to the media.
“This morning we were all shocked by the new level of atrocities of Russia against the people of Ukraine. A new level of atrocity was reached again in the indiscriminate shelling of Ukrainian cities, Ukrainian infrastructure, and, finally, in the killing and wounding of so many Ukrainian citizens,” the PACE President noted.
He reminded that PACE had voted for the urgent establishment of a tribunal to investigate the crimes of Russia in Ukraine during the spring session.
“The call for a special tribunal was supported by the overwhelming majority, but it must be put into practice and a tribunal for the crime of aggression must be established. It is very difficult, but the fact that it is difficult is not an excuse for not doing it,” he said.
Cox noted that discussions are ongoing with various institutions on how to create a special international tribunal to punish those involved in the horrific events in Ukraine.
“It must be clear how we can bring them to justice. It will take time. This is a complicated matter. But in the end, all people must be held accountable, if it is soldiers who are killing Ukrainian citizens if it is pilots who are bombing Ukraine, if it is commanders who are leading their troops, or if it is the president, the government, and the parliament who are leading all these crimes against Ukrainian citizens,” he stressed.
UN Secretary-General is “deeply shocked by widespread rocket attacks by Russia”
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is “deeply shocked by today’s widespread rocket attacks by Russian Federation armed forces on cities across Ukraine, which have reportedly caused widespread destruction in civilian areas and dozens of deaths and injuries.”
“This is yet another unacceptable escalation of the war, and as always, civilians are paying the highest price,” UN Secretary-General spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement.
US consider Russia missile attacks alarming
The US administration is monitoring the situation related to the missile strikes on peaceful cities of Ukraine on October 10 and considers it another manifestation of atrocities by Putin. This was stated by a senior administration official to CNN.
“The White House is closely monitoring the reports of (missile – ed.) attacks on Ukraine that occurred during the night, and considers them alarming,” – the TV channel quotes the US administration representative.
The official also noted that it was another reminder of how brutal the actions of Russian President Putin can be.
The US Department of State expressed solidarity with the people of Ukraine amid a massive missile attack by Russian forces on Ukrainian cities. This is stated in a post on the official page of the US Department of Foreign Affairs
“On this terrible day, our hearts are with the people of Ukraine. Glory to Ukraine!” – the US State Department said in a statement.
The bombing of the territory of Ukraine is barbarism and a war crime committed by Russia. This was tweeted by the Polish Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau.
“Today’s Russian bombing of Ukrainian cities and civilians is an act of barbarism and a war crime. Russia cannot win this war. We are with you, Ukraine,” Rau wrote.
At the same time, the Polish Foreign Ministry tweeted that there is no excuse for Russian barbarism against the civilian population of Ukraine.
“The echo of yesterday’s attacks has not yet passed, as today Russia commits another shelling of Ukrainian cities, including the capital. We will not forget these Russian crimes,” the Polish Foreign Ministry stressed.
Attacks on civilians in Ukrainian cities are war crimes – Michel
President of the European Council Charles Michel called Russian attacks on civilians in Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities war crimes.
“Russia’s horrific attacks on Kyiv and other cities across Ukraine demonstrate the Kremlin’s desperation. These indiscriminate attacks on civilians are war crimes. Committed to supporting Ukraine and holding the Russian regime to account – we will discuss this with G7 partners,” Michel tweeted.
The Council of Europe strongly condemned Russian strikes on Ukrainian cities.
This was emphasized in a joint statement by the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ireland and the Chairman of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe Simon Coveney, the President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe Tini Cox, and the Secretary General of the Council of Europe Maria Pejcinovic Buric, Ukrinform reported.
“We strongly condemn the Russian airstrikes on Ukrainian cities over the past two days, which have resulted in numerous civilian casualties, including many children, as well as the destruction of civilian infrastructure. Such indiscriminate attacks demonstrate a blatant disregard for human life and are serious violations of international humanitarian law,” the statement reads.
Russia’s attacks revealed Putin’s regimes criminal nature – Metzola
President of the European Parliament Roberta Metzola noted that with brutal attacks against Kyiv and other peaceful cities of Ukraine, Putin’s regime once again revealed its criminal nature.
“What is happening now in Kyiv is sickening. It shows the world once again what kind of regime we are dealing with: the one that does not choose targets. With the one that brings terror and death to children. This is a crime. They (Russians – ed.) will be brought to justice. Ukraine will win. Europe will not look away,” Metzola wrote on Twitter.
Germany condemned Russian missile strikes
Germany condemns today’s massive Russian strike on Ukraine.
“Germany will do its utmost to mobilize additional assistance, especially for the restoration and repair of destroyed and damaged civilian infrastructure, in particular energy infrastructure,” said the spokesman of the Federal Government of Germany Steffen Gebestreit.
EU will respond by more military aid to Ukraine
The European Union will respond to Russian attacks against civilians in Kyiv and other cities of Ukraine by further strengthening military assistance. The EU High Representative Josep Borrell tweeted.
“Deeply shocked by Russian attacks against civilians in Kyiv and other cities of Ukraine. Such actions should not take place in the 21st century. I condemn them in the strongest terms. We stand with Ukraine. Additional military assistance from the EU is on the way,” Borrell said.
Despite all the condemnations, the Russian invaders launched a new series of missile attacks against Ukraine the next day, on the October 11th.
