UN General Assembly
2022

I want to begin with the story of Karina, 22-years-old. Eight years ago, Karina — a teenager — was forced to flee Donetsk when Russia invaded eastern Ukraine. In spring this year, the family was once again forced to flee, but this time, Karina — now in her early twenties — did not follow her parents. For the first few days, she stayed in touch by phone, but soon things went quiet. After the Russian barbarians retreated from Bucha, Karina’s horrible fate was revealed. Her body was found, and her stepfather shared with The Kyiv Independent what had happened to her: “There were cuts and lacerations. There was a piece of flesh torn off from her ribs. Half of her nails were torn off. Her leg was shot. They tortured her and most likely raped her.”