Stand With Ukraine MHK

Dear Kansas friends,

I urge you to contact Senator Roger Marshall and kindly ask for his support in voting for Ukraine aid. Yesterday, the United States Senate voted against providing aid to Ukraine, but there is a redo vote today, and the outcome hinges on the voices of concerned citizens like you.

It was disappointing to see Senator Marshall vote against Ukraine aid. Supporting Ukraine is crucial, especially given the ongoing conflict with Russia and the harm being inflicted on innocent civilians. By voting in favor of aid, we can stand against aggression and support those in need.

I encourage you to express your concerns to Senator Marshall respectfully, emphasizing the importance of supporting Ukraine in this challenging time. Let's work together to make a positive impact. You can reach him at his Washington office: 202-224-4774.

Thank you for your advocacy.

–Torture of Women in Occupied Kherson–

During the Russian occupation of the Kherson region, one of the locations where they kept and tortured civilians was Kherson Police Holding Facility #1. Some holding cells there were specially arranged for women. Researchers from the human rights center Zmina established that at least 30 women were kept in those cells at various times, and issued a report on the illegal detention of Ukrainians, based on evidence provided by victims and witnesses.

Women were sent to jail throughout the summer of 2022, mostly in July-August, and held until the end of October when Russian troops began their retreat from the Kherson region. Women who worked in the law enforcement agencies of Ukraine or who allegedly had connections to the resistance movement were targeted.

Human rights activists described the detention conditions. There were three holding cells in total, each meant for 2-3 people. However, on average, 5 women were placed in each cell, with this number occasionally reaching 9. Initially, there were no showers in the cells, later the occupants introduced a shower schedule, allotting just a few minutes per person. At first, the women were fed once a day; after the rotation of the Russian soldiers, this shifted to three times a day, though all food was delivered in the mornings, it was scarce and would turn sour by dinner.

Five women were tortured. “It was beatings, using electric shocks and water torture. Water was either poured directly into the mouth or onto a cotton cloth placed over the head; once the cloth dried it would shrink and not let the air through. Tasers were applied to bare breasts,”- said Zmina human rights analyst Onysya Synyuk.

Women were humiliated and forced to undress upon detainment. Both women and their children were threatened with r**e. The tortures were carried out in front of other detainees, day and night, for intimidation purposes. “One of the victims was forced to listen to the screams of her husband, who was kept in the cell across the hall. For greater emotional effect, the doors of both cells were opened,” states the report.

Women were detained without being informed of the reasons, in violation of the legal detention procedure. Three victims stated they weren’t given any explanations, while others were detained under the pretext of document verification.

https://inshe.tv/suspilstvo/2023-07-13/779234/
07/13/2023. Abridged and translated by Olga Antonyuk.

Жіноча катівня на Херсонщині. Правозахисники розказали, як це було (ВІДЕО) | Inshe.tv Одним із місць на деокупованій Херсонщині, де росіяни тримали і катували цивільних, був ізолятор тимчасового тримання (далі — ІТТ) № 1 Головного управління

–American Volunteer in Bucha–

I am Darrell Patrick Loveless from Arkansas, USA. I was here in Bucha right after the Russians left the city. I worked in the morgue with the Ukrainian police and the criminal investigation department of the French Gendarmerie. My job was to pick up unidentified bodies from the trucks as they arrived. We carried them to a tent, where French and Ukrainian doctors performed an autopsy.

I saw firsthand the atrocities committed by the Russians and the variety of ways they tortured and killed people. There were ligature marks on bound hands, gunshot, and shrapnel wounds. The Russians planted a lot of mines everywhere: in kids’ playgrounds, churches, in the streets, and on walking paths.
As a US veteran, I had seen everything happening in the war. But this was unlike anything I had ever seen. The sheer number of killed and murdered people was terrible. For over a month, we worked 12-14 hours daily to determine how these people were killed, what type of ammunition was used, etc. We received about 14 bodies per day, plus 200 to 300 bodies that were already in refrigerator trucks.
Probably the single hardest thing I’ve had to do in my life was helping family members get into a truck so they could inspect the body bags and determine where their loved ones were.

The majority of victims I saw were senior citizens, women, and children, not military-age men. A lot of injuries were gunshot wounds to the head—clearly execution-style wounds, not happenstance. These people were executed, not accidentally caught in the crossfire. There were torture victims, lots of graphic things, and damaged bodies. People were burned alive—doused with gasoline and set on fire. The Russians planted a lot of mines everywhere: in kids’ playgrounds, churches, in the streets, and on walking paths.

A year has passed. I still see these people in my dreams. This changed me forever. I have recently visited the parts of Bucha where I worked last year, and I can still smell death in the air, the smell of burning. I know it’s gone, but it’s still on my mind.

The Russian soldiers who were here and committed these crimes must be held accountable. Vladimir Putin must be held accountable because everything depends on him.

https://khpg.org/en/1608812651
8/18/2023. Abridged by Lena Nekludova

American Volunteer at Bucha Morgue Patrick Loveless came to Bucha immediately after its release: he helped to sort the corpses in the Bucha morgue and saw and felt the consequences of what the Russians did. What he saw shocked him so much that he could not forget about it.

-First day of work–

In April 2022, Petro Burban volunteered for the Ukrainian Armed Forces. He served for a year and a half, and, in August 2023, he returned home to Lviv to his wife and three children, aged seven, five, and two and a half. After returning from the front, Petro spent two weeks looking for a job. He found a position in a humanitarian aid warehouse. On the night of September 19, Russia struck an industrial enterprise where the warehouse was located using Shaheds (Iranian-produced drones). The warehouse burned to the ground. Petro was killed on his first day of work.

https://life.pravda.com.ua/society/2023/09/20/256641/
By Yana Osadcha. September 20, 2023. Translated and abridged by Marianna Epstein

Загинув у перший робочий день: у Львові російський дрон вбив батька трьох дітей Через атаку росіян на Львів 19 вересня загинув військовий і працівник складу 32-річний Петро Бурбан.

–This is like having bombs dropped on the Smithsonian Mall–

The missile strikes at Taras Shevchenko Park and the crossroad of Taras Shevchenko Boulevard and Volodymyrska Street hit the very center of Kyiv's cultural, scientific, and historical heritage. One missile hit the children's playground in the park, and another came to the crossroad. Photographs of the area are available online.

The damaged buildings and facilities are (info is preliminary):

Ministry of Education & Science of Ukraine (the building with mainly science departments and offices) - severely damaged, almost destroyed;
Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv - two famous buildings of the 19th century: the Main (Red) Building - moderately damaged; the Humanities & Philology (Yellow) Building (formerly the First Gymnasium of Kyiv, which was Alma Mater for many famous people) - severely damaged;
some (probably considerable) damage to the nearby hospital (former Kyiv University Hospital and Clinic);
two art museums: Khanenko Museum of Western & Oriental Art and the National Museum "Kyiv Art Gallery" (formerly the Museum of Russian Art) - both severely damaged;
Taras Shevchenko Museum - some damage;
Presidium of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine - severely damaged;
Main Conference Hall of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine - damaged;
the House of Teachers (educational museum and conference center) - damaged;
M.G. Kholodny Institute of Botany of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine - considerably damaged;
National Museum of Natural History of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine - damage to backyard windows.

These are mostly educational institutions, museums, and other units of national historical, scientific, and art heritage, with no military targets at all.

https://www.facebook.com/victor.fet.9/posts/pfbid027XzEZyuHGik2BtTTkdjJQsiKZQR2zZpVuDSzL4ZfbZzDpEh629FHjSUiBGohPQfgl
By Victor Fet. 10/10/2022 Sergei Mosyakin, Director, M.G. Kholodny Institute of Botany, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine; President, Ukrainian Botanical Society, sent the above report to Nancy Morin (c/o Flora of North America)

Consequences of attack of ruscists on center of Kyiv. PHOTOS 10.10.22 10:34 - Shelling of Kyiv: Consequences of attack of ruscists on center of Kyiv. PHOTOS. As a result of shelling of Kyiv, 5 people are known to have died.