Russia must be held accountable for its troops committing war crimes.
That’s the message from Ukraine’s ambassador-designate to Canada, Yulia Kovaliv.
She told a House of Commons committee Monday that Russia is using rape, often involving children, as a weapon of war.
Kovaliv says the Russian Federation has kidnapped Ukrainian children and taken them into Russian-occupied territory, including Russia.
Ukraine is working to find the children and bring them back.
“Russians, a few days ago, killed a young mother and taped her living child to her body and attached a mine between them,” said Kovaliv.
Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24 in what Russian President Vladimir Putin is calling a “special military operation,” intending to “demilitarise” and “denazify” Ukraine. The conflict has forced more than five million Ukrainians to seek asylum.
Kovaliv says the next few weeks will be crucial for Ukraine’s defence, adding that more military and financial help are needed, such as dropping trade tariffs.
“History books will commend Canada for its strong stance with Ukraine against Russia’s barbaric war,” she said.
“Ukrainians will never forget that Canada was shoulder to shoulder with us in these dramatic times of our modern history.”