The European Parliament has passed a resolution branding Russia a ‘state sponsor of terrorism’ for targeting civilians in its invasion of Ukraine.
As the vote was passed Kyiv’s military administration reported three people were killed and at least 11 injured in a Russian missile strike on Ukraine’s capital . A 17-year-old girl was said to be among the dead when a residential building was hit.
While a newborn baby died earlier on Wednesday when Russian missiles hit a maternity hospital in the Zaporizhzhia region, according to local officials.
Vladimir Putin has launched hundreds of missile attacks on the infrastructure in Ukraine in recent weeks with the energy power grid being badly hit.
The World Health Organisation warned earlier this week that millions of Ukrainian lives were under threat as vast swathes of the country faces blackouts and little heating as temperatures plunge. Energy experts have warned that blackouts will continue until March.
A statement from the European Parliament on Wednesday said: “The deliberate attacks and atrocities committed by Russian forces and their proxies against civilians in Ukraine, the destruction of civilian infrastructure and other serious violations of international and humanitarian law amount to acts of terror and constitute war crimes.”
The resolution was adopted with 494 votes in favour, 58 against and 44 abstentions.
The Parliament is therefore urging the EU and its member states to “put in place the proper legal framework and consider adding Russia to such a list.”
While some European states like Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland have already added Russia to their national list of terrorist states, the US has resisted such a move.
The resolution calls for further isolation of Russia internationally by stripping it of its membership in international organizations and bodies, reducing diplomatic ties with Russia to the absolute minimum and adopting a ninth sanctions package.
In Kyiv, the latest onslaught on Wednesday of missile attacks further degraded water and power supplies in a city that has already seen its energy capacity reduced by half since Russia on October 10 started launching large-scale missile and drone attacks zeroing in on the country’s power grid.
Some underground stations have been forced to switch to generators and there were widespread outages in the city.
Anton Gerashchenko, an adviser to Ukraine’s interior ministry, wrote following the Parliament’s decision: “Rockets hit Kyiv right after European Parliament recognized Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism. Confirmation received.”
Rockets hit Kyiv right after European Parliament recognized Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism.
— Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) November 23, 2022
Confirmation received. pic.twitter.com/cwpI7ZJEKK
He added: “Many Ukrainian regions are without electricity and water supply after Russian rocket strikes today. Rescue Services are doing all they can to restore supply, starting with critical infrastructure — hospitals, etc.”
Moscow reacted angrily to the European Parliament decision.
"I propose designating the European Parliament as a sponsor of idiocy," Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova wrote on Telegram. Moscow has repeatedly denied targeting civilians.
