Lithuanian Seimas recognizes Russia as a terrorist state

Today, May 10, the Lithuanian Seimas unanimously recognized Russia as a terrorist state, stating that the Kremlin regime seeks to destroy the Ukrainian nation — such actions should be recognized as genocide, and Russia, in this case, is a state that supports and commits terrorism,  reports  Delfi.

"The Russian Federation, whose military forces consciously and systematically select civilian targets for bombing, is a state that supports and commits terrorism,"  says Seimas resolution.

Lithuanian parliament stated that the Russian occupation forces committed mass war crimes on the territory of Ukraine, especially in the cities of Bucha, Irpin, Mariupol, Borodianka, and Hostomel.

The purpose of these actions, according to the Seimas, is to destroy the Ukrainian nation in whole or in part, to break its spirit by killing whole Ukrainian families, including children, by kidnapping, torturing, raping, and abusing those killed and tortured. The resolution summed up that all those responsible should be brought to justice, and the international community should create a Special International Criminal Tribunal to investigate and assess Russia's aggression against sovereign Ukraine.

What do other countries say?

We remind that earlier on April 14,  Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine  officially recognized the actions of the Russian armed forces and the political and military leadership of Russia during the full-scale war against Ukraine as genocide of the Ukrainian people. Parliament also called on the world to recognize Russia as the country which commits genocide.

The Verkhovna Rada also banned the symbols used by the Russian service members in the war against Ukraine, the propaganda of the Russian neo-Nazi totalitarian regime, and recognized Russia itself as a terrorist state.

On April 21,  Latvia  and  Estonia  became the first countries to recognize Russia's war crimes in Ukraine as genocide officially. On April 27,  Canadian  lawmakers also called Russia's attacks in Ukraine a genocide.

Earlier, US President  Joe Biden  said that the atrocities committed by Russian troops in Ukraine were genocide but added that international lawyers would have to decide whether the invasion met the legal criteria for genocide. Colombian President  Iván Duque  also shares the opinion.

Other world leaders, such as UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Polish President Andrzej Duda, also used the word 'genocide' to describe Russia's actions in Ukraine.

However, French President Emmanuel Macron in an interview with France 2 called Russians and Ukrainians 'brotherly nations' and said that calling the actions of Russians in Ukraine genocide is inappropriate. Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed disappointment with Macron's statement.