Ukrainians are being murdered as they fight for freedom and democracy.

Through its ongoing assault on Ukraine, Russia has violated Article 2(4) of the United Nations Charter, which prohibits the use of armed conflict to resolve disputes absent self-defense or authorization from the Security Council1.

Article 22 defines genocide as any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial, or religious group, as such:

• Killing members of the group;
• Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group;
• Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part;
• Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group;
• Forcibly transferring children of the group to another group.

The armed forces of the Russian Federation, with the complicity of the Republic of Belarus, have been inflicting massive missile attacks and bombing airstrikes against Ukrainian cities and towns, leaving residential buildings and critical civil infrastructure facilities in ruins3. The destroyed roads and bridges make it impossible to deliver food and medicine to millions living in these settlements4.

As Russian tanks roll through, downed power lines have left Ukrainians without water or heat5. And gas and oil storage facilities have been destroyed making it impossible to repair the damaged gas lines, water supply, and electricity grids6.

U.S. President Joe Biden and other world leaders have denounced the attack against Ukraine as unprovoked7. Ukraine was given no justification for the aggression, which has targeted civilian transport, residential homes, historical city centers, kindergartens, hospitals, and maternity wards throughout Ukraine8.

Millions of civilians are under non-stop airstrikes and missile rocket attacks in Ukraine. Help us call on the U.S. State Department to recognize that the actions of the Russian Federation in Ukraine constitute genocide and state terrorism and take action to stop it.

Help us demand the immediate end to the slaughter and terrorization of the people of Ukraine.

Sign the petition and ask the U.S. State Department to fulfill its obligation to the UN Charter and the signed 1948 Genocide Convention, and recognize the genocide of the Ukrainian population.

More on this issue:

1. United Nations Charter, Article 2(4),"."
2. Office on Genocide Prevention and the Responsibility to Protect, United Nations,"Genocide."
3. Reuters (1 March 2022), "Timeline: The events leading up to Russia's invasion of Ukraine."
4. Roman Rukomeda, Euractiv (5 April 2022), "'The Russian army left behind many of its dead soldiers'."
5. Reuters (7 March 2022), "Over 900 Ukrainian communities without power, heat or water supply - Ukrainian official."
6. Reuters (25 April 2022), "Russia strikes Ukrainian oil depot and military installations."
7. The White House, (24 February 2022), "Remarks by President Biden on Russia's Unprovoked and Unjustified Attack on Ukraine."
8. Natalia Zinets, Reuters (9 March 2022), "Ukraine accuses Russia of genocide after bombing of children's hospital."