Riigikogu speaker visits Ukraine to mark Bucha massacre third anniversary
President of the Riigikogu Lauri Hussar (Eesti 200) participated in the commemoration ceremony held on the third anniversary of the Bucha massacre in Ukraine.
On March 31, 2022, when Ukrainian forces liberated the small town of Bucha on the outskirts of Kyiv, dozens of bodies of civilians tortured and killed by Russian invaders and mass graves with hundreds of victims were discovered.
Today's commemoration ceremony was attended by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Ruslan Stefanchuk, Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal and the Speakers of the Parliaments of many European countries.
Hussar said the photos taken when the town was liberated shocked the whole world.
"The Bucha massacre has become a symbol of the horrors of Russian aggression – a place where the greatest crime against humanity of the 21st century was committed," he said.
Hussar said Estonia was one of the first to label Russia's actions against the Ukrainian people as a genocide.
He said Russia must be held accountable for the crime of aggression and war crimes committed in Ukraine.
"Putin's objectives have not changed – he wants all of Ukraine, he wants to create a buffer zone behind Russia's borders and ultimately he is trying to tear down the European security architecture. The outcome of this war is existential for Europe. Both Ukraine and Europe need a comprehensive, just and lasting peace that is based on international law, territorial integrity and sovereignty," the official stressed.
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Editor: Helen Wright
