Rep. Wild Statement on War Crimes in Bucha, Ukraine

WASHINGTON, D.C. – On Saturday, April 2nd, Ukrainian troops recaptured territory around Kyiv, including the town of Bucha, from Russian control. The reports that are emerging appear to show that Russian forces murdered hundreds of civilians—piling their lifeless bodies into mass graves and scattering them throughout city streets. Rep. Susan Wild issued this statement regarding the massacre of civilians in Bucha:

“What Russian troops left behind was a horrific scene not seen in Europe in generations,” said Rep. Wild. “The massacre of civilians—men, women, children—is a crime against humanity. We cannot allow ourselves to become numb or turn away from the nightmare of what has taken place in Bucha, because the lives of its surviving residents will never be the same.”

“The United Nations Security Council must authorize an independent investigation, and since Russia will almost certainly veto, it is crucial that we immediately find another path to move forward with such an investigation. Democratic countries must investigate and ensure that implicated Russian officials, oligarchs, and their families, are barred from entering their borders. Together, the international community must rally together to send the message that no country—no matter how powerful its military—can commit war crimes that go unpunished.

“The world cannot wait while the work of investigating moves forward. I urge President Biden to take the step that my Republican colleague Rep. Adam Kinzinger and I called on him to take back in the first week of March: work with our European allies to take all Russian financial institutions—not just some—off the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT) system. The cost of this invasion must be beyond unsustainable for Vladimir Putin and the oligarchs around him—it must become literally unbearable.

But we must do more. We must provide Ukraine with the full range of military aid they need. Time is of the essence. And continued humanitarian assistance must be provided on an ongoing basis.

“In the days ahead, I intend to keep working with my colleagues on the House Foreign Affairs Committee to redouble our efforts to assist the Ukrainian people in this time of extraordinary need. We will not forget. Justice will prevail.”

This morning Rep. Wild took to the House floor and delivered an impassioned speech as the representative for one of the largest Ukrainian communities in the nation. 

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