Back-
Destroyed car in the city of Irpin
IOI President Chris Field and IOI Vice President Europe Rob Behrens CBE undertook a visit to the city of Irpin in Ukraine.
Only twenty kilometres from Kyiv, the Russian Federation invaded Irpin, with Kyiv its next target. What followed was a battle that initially saw hundreds of civilians killed and a huge number of internally displaced persons and refugees. The invasion wrought mass destruction with 70% of this thriving city destroyed. Atrocities, mass human rights violations and devastation occurred everywhere. With exceptional courage, Ukraine recaptured the city. President Zelensky named Irpin the ‘Hero City of Ukraine’. President Field and Vice President Europe Behrens spoke at length to just one of those heroes. Civilians who would not allow their city to be taken from them; even as their own homes had been reduced to rubble or incinerated.
“This shameful war, this appalling aggression against a sovereign nation must end. The International Ombudsman Institute stands in the deepest solidarity with the people of Ukraine. But we will also over the coming months and years commit to every practical form of assistance we can provide our courageous colleague Dmytro Lubinets. We will do so while Ukraine fights this war and we will do so after they win this war” said President Field.
Source: The Office of the Western Australian Ombudsman and IOI President
