Lithuania MPs propose marking May 9 as day in memory for victims of genocide in Ukraine

Amid the war between Moscow and Kyiv, a group of Lithuanian lawmakers have proposed marking May 9 as the Day of Remembrance of the victims of genocide in Ukraine, Delfi reported. 16 members of the Lithuanian parliament Seimas which include both leaders from the government and the opposition parties have called for amending the law on commemorative days. The proposal of Lithuanian lawmakers comes as the Russian military offensive in Ukraine continues for more than 50 days. 

Viktorija Cmilyte-Nielsen, the speaker of the Seimas, the Foreign and Justice ministers of Lithuania and the Deputy Speaker of the Seimas have proposed to make May 9 the day of remembrance for the victims of genocide in Ukraine. It is to mention here that May 9 is also observed as Europe Day. The authors of the bill have stressed that the people of the world have been facing the "genocide of the Soviet Union reincarnation, Putin's Russia" in Ukraine. 

The Lithuanian lawmakers emphasized that May 9 will mark the tragedies experienced by the Ukrainians back then during the "Soviet-orchestrated Holodomor" and the war crimes carried out by the Russian armed forces, as per the Delfi news report. The Ukrainian Parliament Verkhovna Rada has also confirmed the development in a tweet. Verkhovna Rada tweeted, "Lithuania proposes to make May 9 a day of remembrance for the victims of genocide in Ukraine. Lithuanian deputies have submitted a legislative initiative to parliament." Meanwhile, the Latvian parliament has also declared May 9 as a day of remembrance for the victims of the war in Ukraine. 

Russia marks victory of Soviet Union on May 9

The decision of Latvian and Lithuanian lawmakers comes as ever since Russian troops started pulling out from Bucha and other towns and villages of Ukraine, Ukrainian authorities have revealed tragedies inflicted by the former in the regions. However,  Russia has denied involvement in the killings in Bucha. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has claimed that the situation in Bucha is a "fake attack" and "staged." It is to mention here that Russia on May 9 marks the victory of the Soviet Union over Nazi Germany in the Great Patriot War which took place between 1941 and 1945, TASS reported. In 2021, a military parade on Moscow's Red Square was held in Russia to commemorate the anniversary of the Soviet Union’s Victory over Nazi Germany.

Image: AP