New bills to be introduced by ‘Ukrainian Days’ representatives

New bills to be introduced by ‘Ukrainian Days’ representatives

As a representative of ‘Ukrainian Days’ movement in Washington, DC, it is important to me to represent Ukraine’s interests and attract anything that can benefit the country during its suffering. Ever since the beginning of kremlins aggression towards Ukraine, we have been actively supporting the needs of the country and its people, sharing our voice, introducing bills to US representatives in order to spread awareness and help Ukraine.

Till this day, we keep on sustaining and building the support that we have and working on more bills and legislation.

One of the biggest concerns of Ukrainian people is the absence of the recognition of russian genocide in Ukraine. The 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (the Genocide Convention) defines genocide as any act committed with the intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial or religious group. Correspondingly, we’re working on H.Res.154 and S.Res.72 – Recognizing russian [sic] actions in Ukraine as a genocide, explicitly condemn the genocide of Ukrainians and “supports tribunals and international criminal investigations to hold russia [sic] political leaders and military personnel to account...”

In addition, for the past year, the world has watched in horror as russia continues to launch daily missile and artillery attacks on Ukrainian civilian targets. These kremlin war tactics can be clearly classified as terrorist acts.

The United States government designates countries and international organizations as sponsors of terrorism. With the indiscriminate bombings that have resulted in the loss of untold numbers of innocent men, women, and children in Ukraine, it is apparent russia’s actions can be classified as a ‘state sponsor of terrorism’. Currently, there are four countries listed as state sponsors of terror: Cuba, Syria, Iran, and North Korea.

As a result, we are presenting H.R.506 & S.416 – Holding Accountable russian [sic] Mercenaries [HARM] Act, to designate the russian-based [sic] mercenary Wagner Group as a foreign terrorist organization.

 Regarding russia war crimes and Ukraine’s territorial integrity, we are obliged to introduce the H.R. 294 bill, which is non-recognition of russian annexation of Ukrainian territory act. Since Ukraine’s history is barely spread and known in the West, it is important to fight against Russian disinformation and propaganda that causes people to believe that territories like Crimea and Donbass do not belong to Ukraine, which is NOT true whatsoever. Considering that, introducing the bills to support the truth and have it be spread on an international level is whole step closer to Ukraine’s victory.

Along with that, we’re introducing the H.RES.41 – underscoring continued support for the people of Ukraine, specifically reiterating support for Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity with its internationally recognized borders and its territorial waters.

Concerning russia sanctions regime, introducing H.R.683 & S.168 – Promoting Agriculture Safeguards and Security (PASS) Act and H.R.1254, which directs the President to obtain agreements with other countries that have frozen russian Central Bank Assets. In addition, the frozen assets would be used for the recovery and reconstruction of Ukraine. 

It is our duty the 'Ukrainian Days' movement team, to continue our efforts in supporting Ukraine and its people, especially during these trying times. We believe that through our collective efforts, we can help Ukraine overcome its challenges and emerge stronger than ever before.