Russia prepared genocide of Ukrainians even before the invasion

Russia was preparing for the genocide of Ukrainians even before the start of the full-scale invasion. A set of measures were taken for this.

This was announced by the head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense Kyrylo Budanov at a forum dedicated to the anniversary of the Russian-Ukrainian war and on the eve of the Holodomor Remembrance Day on Friday, November 22.

How Russia was preparing for the genocide in Ukraine

According to Budanov, Ukrainophobia affected not only the state apparatus of the Russian Federation. It also concerns the army, the information sphere and society.

"The genocide of Ukraine is not only the state policy of the Russian Federation, but also a mandatory public belief imposed from above," — the head of the Main Intelligence Directorate said.

As Budanov noted, the military-political leadership of the Russian Federation was preparing for genocide in Ukraine. This began to be done on the eve of the full-scale invasion.

"We were well aware of the instructions for arranging mass graves and the network operation of mobile crematoriums, where corpses would be burned en masse," Budanov said.

In addition, according to him, the Russians had lists of teachers of the Ukrainian language, literature, history, ATO veterans, journalists, scientists and other public figures. These are the so-called "shooting" lists.

"We saw terrible mass crimes against Ukrainian citizens. The atrocities of the Russian Armed Forces in Borodyanka, Bucha, Gostomel, Izyum, Mariupol and many other settlements in Ukraine showed that all these identical and synchronous actions were based on clear doctrinal provisions of the Russian genocidal policy of the authorities and military leadership," Budanov noted.

As a reminder, Estonia officially recognized the deportation of Crimean Tatars in 1944 as an act of genocide by the Soviet authorities. The corresponding statement was supported by 83 deputies of the Riigikogu.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine welcomed the decision of the Parliamentary Assembly of the European Council, which adopted a resolution confirming the recognition of the Holodomor of 1932-1933 as an act of genocide against the Ukrainian nation.