Justice must be served

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine

Nov 17, 2025

💬 Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha: “During the Third Reich, about 800,000 of 80 million Germans were arrested for dissent and opposing war.

In Putin’s Russia, about 20,000 Russians out of 145 million have been arrested for dissent and protesting the war.

800 thousand and 20 thousand. Remember these two figures next time anyone, including the Russian liberal opposition, tells you “ordinary Russians are not guilty.”

Russians are either more brainwashed than Germans in the Third Reich, more cowardly, or more pro-aggression – or all of the above.

This is a complete moral disaster: a nation to the east of Europe is filled with aggression, hatred toward other ethnicities, and readiness to commit the most horrific crimes.

Russians are perpetrators, accomplices, or enablers of atrocities, including the murder of civilians and children, rape, and other war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide.

Russia as a state and Russian criminals at all levels must be held accountable. Justice must be served.

This week, the world will mark 80 years since the start of the International Military Tribunal in Nuremberg. As we approach this important date, it is critical to uphold the same high ideals of justice.

I thank those of our partners who already play an active role in accountability efforts and call for the broadest international support for holding Russia and Russians accountable.

We have a number of instruments: from national jurisdictions to the ICC dealing with perpetrators of atrocities, the Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression Against Ukraine, dealing with Russia’s political and military leadership, and all steps that make ordinary Russians feel the consequences of their choices.

Only when justice for Russian atrocities and grave crimes against peace and humanity is served can we restore Europe’s moral foundation and ensure that such horrors are never repeated again.”

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Russia struck the Kharkiv region twice on the night of November 17, killing four people and injuring fourteen – among them four children.

In Balakliia, missiles hit a residential area, damaging homes, a kindergarten, and cars. Three people were killed, over a dozen injured, including children born in 2011, 2010, and 2007.

In Velykyi Burluk, drone attacks set private homes on fire, killing one man and injuring another.

Overnight, Russia also attacked other regions of Ukraine, including Odesa, Chernihiv, and Dnipro.

To protect its cities and people, Ukraine needs comprehensive air defence – systems, aviation, interceptor drones, and mobile fire teams. Continued pressure on Russia is essential to make it stop its aggression.

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Volodymyr Mykolaienko was the mayor of Kherson from 2014 to 2020. When Russia launched its full-scale invasion, he was already of retirement age, yet joined Kherson’s territorial defence. He became one of the most visible participants in pro-Ukrainian demonstrations.

When Russian invaders occupied the city, Mykolaienko categorically refused to cooperate with the Russian occupation authorities. In April 2022, he was lured into a meeting and abducted by Russian security services. In Russian captivity, he endured over three years of physical and psychological abuse.

On August 24, 2025, Ukraine’s Independence Day, Mykolaienko finally returned home in a prisoner exchange. He was astonished by the outpouring of solidarity: along the road, crowds of Ukrainians stood with flags, cheering.

The desire to come back to his family and belief in Ukraine’s victory helped him hold on all this time. He says his main task after being released is to help free those who are still in captivity.