2022 -- H 7592

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     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2022

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H O U S E   R E S O L U T I O N

CONDEMNING THE RUSSIAN INVASION OF UKRAINE

     Introduced By: Representatives Hull, Shekarchi, Blazejewski, Filippi, J Lombardi,
McNamara, Ajello, Casey, Williams, and Ranglin-Vassell

     Date Introduced: March 01, 2022

     Referred To: House read and passed

     WHEREAS, On February 24, 2022, Russia launched an invasion of Ukraine, its neighbor

to the Southwest. This illegal and immoral act of war is the largest conventional warfare

operation in Europe since World War II ended in 1945; and

     WHEREAS, Ukraine is a democracy of more than 40 million people led by its

Democratically-elected President Volodymyr Zelensky. Russia is a nation of approximately 145

million led by Vladimir Putin, a former KGB agent, who has been in power in Russia since 2000

and is widely believed across the globe to be a tyrant; and

     WHEREAS, For centuries, Ukraine and its people have suffered greatly due to actions

taken by Russia, their more powerful neighbor to the East. The Ukrainians declared their

independence in 1917, but were invaded and defeated by Lenin and his Russian forces in 1921.

From 1932 to 1933, the Ukrainian people suffered from a Stalin-induced famine, called

Holodomer in Ukraine, that according to a United Nations statement in 2003, killed

approximately 7-10 million people; and

     WHEREAS, More recently, in 2014 Russia broke international law by invading and

annexing the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine. As a result, Russia’s actions were condemned by

the United Nations and they were suspended by the G8, (Group of 8), which was an inter-

governmental political forum from 1997 to 2014, consisting of the United States, Canada, the

United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and Russia, which met regularly and sought to

foster stability and economic prosperity across the globe. Tragically, as recent events show,

Russian President Vladimir Putin has no interest in these noble ideas. Since 2014, Putin and

Russia also sowed rebellion and violence in the Donbas region of Southeastern Ukraine, in

Russia's never-ending quest to de-stabilize the Ukrainian government and democracy in Ukraine;

and

     WHEREAS, Thus far, the United Nations has estimated that there have been thousands

of casualties, both killed and wounded, since Putin’s illegal invasion of Ukraine began four days

ago. The United Nations also estimates that the invasion has created more than 400,000 refugees;

and

     WHEREAS, Thankfully, the world's reaction has been swift and almost unanimous in its

condemnation of Putin’s actions. NATO is unified in its opposition to this invasion and is

supplying the Ukrainian government and military with much-needed weapons and humanitarian

goods. Other non-NATO nations are also assisting the Ukraine Government such as Sweden and

Finland. The United Nations membership has overwhelmingly condemned the Russian attack on

Ukraine, and the United States, the European Union and other allies across the globe are also

enacting very strict and biting economic sanctions against Russia, particularly in the banking and

currency sectors. Also, almost all of Europe and its Western allies have declared their territories

to be no-fly zones for Russian civilian and military aircraft; now, therefore be it

     RESOLVED, That this House of Representatives of the State of Rhode Island hereby

declares that it vehemently opposes the illegal invasion of Ukraine by Russia and this House

completely supports the Rhode Island Ukrainian-American community in this time of great crisis;

and be it further

     RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to send

certified copies of this resolution to the Rhode Island Congressional delegation, and to St.

Michael’s Ukrainian Orthodox Church, and St. Michael the Archangel Ukrainian Church, both of

Woonsocket.

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