Meeting of the Parliament 23 February 2023
No one in the chamber wanted to mark this milestone. It is one year since Putin’s illegal invasion of Ukrainian sovereignty. Although that anniversary is testament to the resilience of the Ukrainian people in the face of unprovoked barbarism, we wish we could be marking the end of the conflict.
I have spoken many times on Ukraine in this Parliament, most recently in 2018, when we marked Holodomor remembrance day with a collective reflection in the chamber on the Holodomor genocide.
I thank my colleague Jenni Minto for bringing to the chamber last night her important members’ business debate on the special tribunal on Russian aggression in Ukraine. I hope that, when that tribunal is held, we will revisit the Holodomor and that the UK will identify it as a genocide, as many countries, including Canada, have done.
The Holodomor was a systematic man-made famine that was perpetrated by the Stalinist regime in an attempt to crush Ukrainian identity and erase a community of people that was perceived as a threat to Soviet rule, but the Ukrainian people endured, in the face of that most extreme oppression, and it is no surprise that, for the past year, they have resisted Putin.
I recall that, when war broke out last year, I spoke to Phillips O’Brien, professor of strategic studies at the University of St Andrews. He was probably a lone voice in saying that, in his view, it would be a war of attrition as the Ukrainian people would resist and the conflict would be drawn out. He has been proved right, and we have had to adjust our response from one that mainly involves short-term and immediate humanitarian support to one that involves long-term support.
The supersponsor scheme has supplied a much-needed route to sanctuary for tens of thousands of vulnerable people. More than 23,300 Ukrainians have arrived in Scotland. The UK Government’s military support for Ukraine has been considerable, but I reiterate calls for its humanitarian support to be sustained. The devolved and local administrations need to have year-2 funding, not the reduced tariff that we saw in January. We need more support for the Ukrainians we are supporting in this country.
Last summer, I was privileged to host the Ukraine culture leadership dialogue at the Edinburgh International Culture Summit. The event brought together political and cultural leaders from countries that wish to strengthen Ukraine’s international standing and support Ukrainian cultural institutions at this time.
This week, I attended the very moving “Postcards from Ukraine” event in the Parliament. The display drove home the reality that Ukrainians are facing. As a picture paints a thousand words, I have brought some of those postcards to the chamber—I acknowledge that this breaks the prop rule, Presiding Officer. We saw images of the Kostiantynivka mosque, the Church of the Ascension of the Lord, Kharkiv National Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre and even the memorial to the victims of totalitarianism. It was moving and profound, and I urge everyone to see it.
I also urge people to look to the “Salute Ukraine!” concert in the Usher Hall on Sunday night, which brings together Scotland’s culture and that of the Ukrainian people in support of their challenges at this time.
I have been fortunate to connect with Ukrainians in my Motherwell and Wishaw constituency. Our community has shown its spirit, and the Ukrainian families should know that they are welcome. Due to my committee roles, I have also made links with some of the people on the ship at Leith. The importance of those friendships and cultural links cannot be overstated. The cultural connections are essential expressions of our country’s solidarity with the people of Ukraine.
I thank the Presiding Officer for her on-going work to ensure that the Parliament stands in unity with Ukraine. Oberig’s stirring rendition of the Ukrainian national anthem in our Parliament was a timely reminder of their resolve in the face of oppression.
A few weeks ago at Murrayfield, I was pretty moved by my own national anthem, but I will never forget the atmosphere in our Parliament the other evening when that beautiful choir sang their cultural folk songs and, specifically, their national anthem. When I reflect on the words of that national anthem, I think that it expresses everything that we need to know about the people of Ukraine.
“Ukraine’s glory has not yet perished, nor her freedom,
Upon us, brother Ukrainians, fate shall smile once more.
Our enemies will vanish like dew in the morning sun,
And we too shall rule, brothers, in a free land of our own.”
Slava Ukraini!