Russia had planned a new wave of genocidal actions against Ukrainians long before its full-scale invasion in February 2022, according to Kyrylo Budanov, Chief of Ukraine's Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR).
The revelations were made during the forum “Russia’s Genocidal Practices in Ukraine: From the Holodomor to the Russian-Ukrainian War.”
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“Russia’s preparation for genocide against the Ukrainian people before the full-scale invasion included the creation of kill lists, mobile crematoriums, and plans for mass burials,” Budanov stated, as reported by the HUR press service.
Budanov pointed to a 2021 article by Russian President Vladimir Putin that denied the existence of a Ukrainian nation, saying it laid the groundwork for subsequent atrocities.
“Russian propaganda, top state authorities, high-ranking officials, and the entire state apparatus, emboldened by their leader, have repeatedly called for the destruction of Ukrainians,” he said.
According to the HUR chief, pervasive Ukrainophobia has deeply permeated Russian society.
“The genocide of Ukrainians is not just a state policy of the Russian Federation but also an ingrained social belief imposed from above,” Budanov said.
According to the HUR’s chief, Russian military personnel received instructions before the invasion on where to locate mass graves. The so-called “kill lists” targeted individuals such as Ukrainian language and history teachers, veterans of anti-terrorist operation (ATO), journalists, scientists, writers, clergy supporting Ukraine, public figures, and local leaders.
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Budanov cited the mass atrocities committed by Russian forces in Borodyanka, Bucha, Hostomel, Izyum, Mariupol, and other locations as evidence of a systematic genocidal policy.
“These atrocities were not random acts of violence but deliberate, doctrinal actions rooted in Russia’s genocidal policies,” he said.
HUR representative Vadym Skibitsky also addressed the forum, highlighting the abduction and indoctrination of Ukrainian children from occupied territories.
According to him, Russia is trying to erase the Ukrainian identity of these children through approximately fifty special programs designed to reprogram their consciousness.
He described the process of returning these children as painstakingly slow and complex.
“Rescuing Ukrainian children is an incredibly difficult process. We are bringing them back one by one, each child practically wrested from the grip of this three-headed dragon,” he said.
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