Rep. Victoria Spartz (R-Ind.), an Ukrainian-born lawmaker, condemned the Russian invasion of her native country, characterizing the conflict as a “genocide” led by a “crazy man.”
Spartz said during a GOP House leadership news conference on Tuesday that Russian President Vladimir Putin “cannot get over” the idea of Ukrainian citizens wanting to have a U.S.-like democracy instead of being part of a regime.
“This is not a war,” Spartz fiercely said. “This is genocide of the Ukrainian people by a crazy man.”
Spartz, a first-term Republican lawmaker, also said that the village where her 95-year-old grandmother lives has been attacked by Russian forces, adding that citizens in the village have taken up arms to defend themselves.
“They came into [the] village with heavy machine guns, killed almost every person,” Spartz tearfully said. “And whatever people were left, women and children, they forced them to walk in front of the tanks as human shields.”
Spartz also criticized President Biden for his initial soft approach to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“We have a president that talks … and doesn’t do things,” Spartz said. “What is he going to do, wait until millions die? Then he’s going to do more? I mean, we have not just a moral duty, we are the leaders of the free world.”
“If we don’t stop him there, he is not going to stop. He is going to go further,” she continued, referring to Putin. “And then we’ll have to send our children to die to fight this.”
Spartz’s remarks come amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which began on Thursday and has led to a series of international sanctions against Moscow. U.S. companies in a variety of sectors have also moved to end business with Russia.
Ukrainian citizens are fleeing the country, and many inside and outside Ukraine are seeking to communicate through services that are intended to ensure their privacy.
The UN’s refugee agency shared on Tuesday that nearly 660,000 Ukrainian citizens have fled the country since the invasion.
