The Vice Speaker Olena Kondratiuk: The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine supports the decision of the Lithuanian Seimas to recognise the russian PMC Wagner as a terrorist organisation
15 March 2023, 12:45
The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine welcomes and supports the decision of the Seimas of Lithuania to recognise the russian private military company Wagner as a terrorist organisation that poses a threat to the security of the state and society.
This was emphasised by the Deputy Chairperson of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, Olena Kondratiuk, noting that 117 MPs unanimously voted for the relevant resolution of the Seimas.
“I am grateful to the Speaker Viktorija Cmilyte-Nielsen and all the members of the Lithuanian Parliament who have once again demonstrated leadership in countering and condemning russian terrorism. The Seimas also called on other countries to recognise the russian PMC Wagner as a terrorist organisation. We expect that the relevant resolutions, as well as the recognition of russia as a terrorist state, will be adopted by the majority of parliaments of the EU and the democratic world,” commented Olena Kondratiuk.
The Lithuanian parliament strongly condemned the use of any mercenary groups, such as Wagner, created with the support of the russian authorities, to commit crimes of aggression in Ukraine.
“The mercenaries of the private military company Wagner of the russian federation, which is actively involved in hostilities on the side of the aggressor, commit systematic grave crimes of aggression – murder and torture of the civilian population of Ukraine, bombing the residential buildings and other civilian objects, which is equivalent to terrorism,” the document says.
The resolution also notes that the Wagner PMC, founded by businessman yevhenii prigozhyn, who is close to russian President putin, is a shadowy tool of the russian authorities. In particular, it receives military equipment from the russian government for free and uses russian military infrastructure.
“The MPs separately called for the adoption of a law on the prevention of terrorism in Lithuania. It should provide for specific criteria on the basis of which the Government or an institution authorised by it will approve the list of terrorist organisations, as well as impose appropriate sanctions on persons for participation in the activities of such terrorist organisations,” said the Vice Speaker Olena Kondratiuk.