[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 190 (Wednesday, December 7, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7012-S7013]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                                Ukraine

  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, it has been nearly 10 months--10 months 
since that cold, dark morning when I was in the departure lounge at the 
main airport in Vilnius, Lithuania, with my colleague Senator Chris 
Coons. We watched on television as Russia attempted to seize another 
sovereign country in the heart of Europe. I will never forget those 
early scenes of Putin's horror unleashed on Ukraine.
  My friends in Lithuania, who remember Soviet oppression all too well, 
had warned of Russia's potential strike again in Ukraine, in Europe, 
and beyond.
  Years earlier, I had seen firsthand the seizure of Georgian land by 
the Russian military in 2008. In 2014, my friend and fellow colleague 
the late Senator John McCain and I, with a group of Senators, paid 
tribute to those slain in Kyiv's Maidan Square just as Russia had 
seized Crimea and was looking to forcibly take other areas of eastern 
Ukraine.
  But Putin and his henchmen failed miserably at understanding Ukraine 
and understanding their resolve to halt him and his brutality. His 
initial ploy to quickly topple Ukraine's democratic

[[Page S7013]]

government and replace it with a puppet failed immediately. And other 
Russian military advances in eastern and southern Ukraine have been 
rolled back time and again.
  In fact, Ukraine's military has reclaimed hundreds of villages and 
more than a thousand square miles of territory--good for them. Quite 
simply, despite the horrific violence unleashed by Putin, the Ukrainian 
people have prevailed. Their courage and their sacrifice is inspiring.
  And the world has rallied to Ukraine's side, leaving Russia 
isolated--should be embarrassed--and in retreat of Putin's folly.
  Yesterday, I met with our Ambassador to the United Nations, Linda 
Thomas Greenfield. We are lucky to have her. She is truly a skillful, 
experienced, and talented person.
  She reminded me earlier this year, more than 140 U.N. member states 
voted overwhelmingly in support of a resolution that deplored in the 
strongest terms Putin's aggression.
  It also affirmed the international community's commitment to the 
sovereignty, independence, unity, and territorial integrity of Ukraine.
  Only five Nations dissented--they are the world's worst 
dictatorships--aligning with Putin to vote against the measure at the 
United Nations. A reminder that Vladimir Putin has utterly failed in 
pursuing his twisted nostalgia for Soviet tyranny.
  And the NATO alliance has held firm in its strong support to 
Ukraine--this administration included--providing weapons to help them 
defend their nation. More than 34 other nations joined us. The United 
States and several key allies have imposed sanctions on nearly 8,400 
Russian oligarchs and their families, 1,500 Russian entities, and 100 
Russian vessels. The nations of the free world understand that Ukraine 
is, in fact, our common frontline in the battle for freedom in this 
world.
  President Biden, too, with Secretaries Blinken and Austin, has 
rallied unprecedented international support. Other nations clearly 
understand what is at stake. The struggle for the rule of law over the 
rule of chaos and brute force, that is what is at stake.
  And now it is time for the United States and the rest of the free 
world to continue to lift up our support.
  It can be easy to get impatient, even despair, as Ukraine faces 
continued Russian bombardment of civilian targets and, in many cases, 
war crimes specifically designed to terrorize civilian populations.
  I would like to show you a recent photo. It shows the U.N. High 
Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk. He is speaking to defenders 
in Kyiv in an underground shelter during a recent air strike.

  Another of a child here hauntingly looking at a damaged school. He is 
dressed for school. The building has been destroyed by Vladimir Putin.
  Ukrainian civil servants are working around the clock to restore 
access to electricity, water, and heat to allow hospitals and schools 
to function.
  The continued unified support and military assistance of NATO is 
invaluable, and this Congress has been unified in providing this aid.
  Make no mistake, Russia is losing the war in Ukraine. Its leaders now 
are trying to break the will of the Ukrainian people.
  As an amateur student of history, I know that the winter has often 
been a defense for the people of Russia. Napoleon's advance of his 
troops on Moscow was stymied by the coldest winter imaginable. They 
said it was so cold that the birds fell from the sky. And we remember 
well what the Nazis faced when they invaded Russia in a bitter winter 
that was also a defense for the Russian people.
  Vladimir Putin has turned the tables and, sadly, is using winter as a 
weapon of war against common Ukrainian people--mothers, fathers, and 
children.
  I want to conclude by showing this one photo because it tells such a 
story. These are members of the Ukrainian National Philharmonic 
orchestra, performing in a darkened theater in Kyiv on Tuesday, lit 
only by battery-powered lanterns. It says it all about the resilience 
of the Ukrainian people.
  Russia will fail.
  Slava Ukraini.