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[Congressional Bills 118th Congress] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office] [H. Res. 1014 Introduced in House (IH)]
118th CONGRESS 2d Session H. RES. 1014
Commemorating the heroic sacrifices of the Ukrainian people 2 years after Russia's illegal and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, and recognizing the terrible cost of Russia's war of aggression.
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IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
February 15, 2024
Ms. Kaptur (for herself, Mr. Harris, Mr. Quigley, Mr. Fitzpatrick, Mr. Espaillat, Mr. Wilson of South Carolina, Mr. Landsman, Mrs. Spartz, Mr. Morelle, Mr. Pocan, Mr. Pascrell, Mr. Boyle of Pennsylvania, Mr. Auchincloss, Mr. Doggett, Ms. Titus, Mrs. Cherfilus-McCormick, Mr. Himes, Mr. Swalwell, Mr. Joyce of Ohio, Mr. Crow, Mr. Gottheimer, Mr. Casten, Mr. Krishnamoorthi, Mr. Goldman of New York, Ms. Wild, Mr. Davis of Illinois, Mr. Evans, Ms. Schakowsky, Mr. Carson, Mr. Bera, Mr. Cohen, and Mr. Mfume) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs
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RESOLUTION
Commemorating the heroic sacrifices of the Ukrainian people 2 years after Russia's illegal and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, and recognizing the terrible cost of Russia's war of aggression.
Whereas Russia initially, and without provocation, invaded the sovereign Nation of Ukraine in 2014 when it illegally captured portions of the Crimea, Donetsk, and Luhansk Oblasts; Whereas, on February 24, 2022, Vladimir Putin and the Russian State initiated the violent invasion of Ukraine; Whereas Russia's invasion of Ukraine, intended to achieve Vladimir Putin's goal of conquering all of Ukraine, has proven to be a failure; Whereas, after 2 years of war in Ukraine, the Ukrainian people continue to demonstrate their commitment to defeating Russia and building a just and free democratic society; Whereas the war being perpetrated against Ukraine today takes place in the context of a long history of occupation and persecution against it by authoritarian powers including Russia, the Soviet Union, and Nazi Germany; Whereas over 10,000 Ukrainian civilians have been killed and nearly 20,000 wounded by deliberate and indiscriminate Russian strikes against Ukraine; Whereas over 19,000 Ukrainian-born children have been illegally abducted by Russian forces and sympathizers and taken to Russian-occupied territory or Russia in an attempt to forcibly turn them into Russian citizens and erase their Ukrainian heritage; Whereas roughly 10,000,000 Ukrainians have been displaced from their homes as a result of Russia's invasion, including 3,700,000 internally in Ukraine and 6,300,000 who have been forced to leave the country; Whereas 14,600,000 people are in need of humanitarian assistance in Ukraine, representing over one quarter of Ukraine's prewar population; Whereas the total value of the physical destruction to Ukraine's infrastructure, including schools, religious and cultural sites, hospitals, homes, businesses, government buildings and more is estimated to be over $400,000,000,000; Whereas over 100,000 instances of potential war crimes committed by Russian forces, including the intentional targeting of civilians, sexual violence, torture, mass murder, and other crimes against humanity, have been recorded; Whereas the International Criminal Court has indicted Vladimir Putin for his role in the war crime of unlawful deportation of children and transfer from Ukraine to Russia; Whereas the involvement of China, Iran, and North Korea in furthering the violence being committed against Ukraine, is evidence of the increasing coordination of an emerging "Axis of Tyranny", whose primary intention is to sow instability at the expense of innocent civilians and as a means of undermining the security of the free world; Whereas, aside from individual international volunteers, Ukraine has fought this war entirely with Ukrainian personnel; Whereas with aid from the United States and its allies, Ukraine has liberated 50 percent of all territory that was once occupied by Russia; Whereas Ukraine has destroyed as much as 40 percent of Russia's entire fighting military forces, including over 300,000 Russian casualties or as much as 90 percent of Russia's estimated initial invasion force; and Whereas, since Ukraine's successful repulsing of Russia's initial invasion, the Ukrainian people have inspired the world through its heroic stand for democratic values: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the House of Representatives-- (1) reaffirms its longtime commitment to the Ukranian people and strong support for Ukraine as it defends itself against Russia; (2) unequivocally condemns Vladimir Putin and his authoritarian regime; (3) stands in solidarity with the Ukrainian people in commemoration of the terrible costs Ukraine has borne after 2 years of brutal war; (4) recognizes the importance of Ukraine's historic fight for the security and prosperity of all nations on the continent of Europe and the United States; and (5) commends the Ukrainian people who are sacrificing greatly as they seek to rejoin the world community of free, independent, and democratic Nations.