Albanian Minister of Foreign Affairs Olta Xhacka has reacted following the massacre of hundreds of Ukrainian citizens in the town of Bucha not far from Kyiv, by Russian forces.
Photos and videos from the town shocked the world, as did the discovery of mass graves and bodies littering the street. Many of those shown in the clips had their hands tied behind their backs and bullet wounds to the back of the head. The bodies of burned and mutilated Ukrainian women were also found along with evidence of rape and sexual assault.
“The images of dead civilians litering the streets of liberated Ukrainian cities, the documented stories of rape, and the shocking destruction of entire towns are the clearest indication yet of the true criminal nature of the Russian regime,” she said.
“The world must act…Albania will work with allies and partners so that these crimes are properly evidenced and investigated,” she added.
The Speaker of Parliament Lindita Nikolla has also condemned the atrocities.
“The mass killings of innocent people in Bucha and other regions of Ukraine show that the violence of the Russian army is escalating into forms of genocide.”
She added that these horrific images appear to show humanity falling apart and it is the job of the international community to intervene.
“The Albanian parliament strongly condemns these war crimes against the civilian population and calls for an independent international investigation,” she said.
President Ilir Meta said the international community should double its efforts “to stop the Kremlin’s killing machine.”
“Crimes against humanity committed by Russia and which are terrifying all of humanity must be investigated as such. As a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council and as a member of NATO, Albania will make its contribution in this regard,” he wrote.
Meta condemned the massacre of civilians and mass rapes, referring to it as “genocide committed by Russia”.
