As a human rights lawyer, I have used my knowledge of the law to defend civilians and human dignity for many years. Unfortunately, the law alone is not enough to prevent Russia from committing atrocities against innocent Ukrainian civilians. We need to be able to defend ourselves.
Russian troops have no regard for international law or human rights. They are deliberately carrying out war crimes against the people of Ukraine. They are shelling residences, schools, churches and hospitals. They are attacking evacuation corridors. They are torturing people. They are abducting Ukrainian children. They are robbing, raping, and killing Ukrainian civilians. Our international system of peace and security has not stopped it.
It takes only 42 seconds for rockets to hit our schools, homes, and churches in Kharkiv from their launch points inside Russia. More often than not, civilians don’t have enough time to reach a bomb shelter. Since their invasion, Russian troops have inflicted a constant stream of atrocities aimed at breaking the spirit of the Ukrainian people. At the beginning of this month, a Russian missile targeted a beautiful family of five, leaving only the father behind to mourn his wife and three young daughters. This summer, the day before the NATO summit began, Russia targeted Ukraine’s largest children’s hospital with a missile attack. Dozens of children battling life-threatening diseases were forced to evacuate and were unable to receive the care they desperately need.
A woman walks past a banner depicting Russia’s President Vladimir Putin and reading ‘Killer’ and ‘Nuremberg for Putin’ in Wroclaw, Poland, on Sept. 20.
SERGEI GAPON/AFP via Getty Images
When I look at these unspeakable crimes against humanity that Russia has inflicted on the Ukrainian people, I see a concerted effort to wipe out our entire culture, our entire nationality, and our entire history. Nearly 20,000 Ukrainian children have been abducted by Russia. Some of these children are even forced to take on new names to erase their Ukrainian identity and placed in Russian schools that ban the Ukrainian language and history. The Russian version of victory would see Ukraine as we know it cease to exist. It would put democracy at risk around the entire world by demonstrating a lack of resolve in defending its most important principles.
To protect the human rights of Ukrainians, we must stop Moscow’s extreme aggression. And to do that, we must give Ukraine the means to protect its civilians and strike back.
Russia is assaulting Ukrainian civil society by targeting civilian infrastructure with strikes launched more than 100 miles from the border. To block these attacks and protect innocent civilians, Ukraine needs air defense systems and long-range weapons. We need permission to launch strategic, cross-border strikes on military targets to diminish Russia’s ability to kill Ukrainians. We need our Western allies’ help.
I understand that countries must act in their best interest, and I see a clear common interest between the U.S. and Ukraine. We know that if Russia wins the war, they will not stop with Ukraine. They will use the same brutal tactics to go after other European countries, including NATO allies the U.S. would be obligated to protect with troops on the ground. The fall of one European democracy would be a threat to democracy everywhere.
Putin is attempting to isolate Ukraine from its allies and continue his horrific campaign to erase our country from the map. I hope the U.S. and its allies will continue their vital support for Ukraine’s fight for freedom by giving us the tools we need to defend ourselves. The permission to fight back will allow us to end the atrocities faced daily in our communities—and it will show authoritarian leaders across the world that the international community is willing to stand up and fight for freedom and democracy.
Despite Russia’s best efforts, Ukraine’s spirit is not broken. We know that with the help of our allies and the United States, we will prevail and safeguard the values of global democracy.
Oleksandra Matviichuk is the founder and head of the Center for Civil Liberties, which was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2022.
The views expressed in this article are the writer’s own.
