[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 10]
[House]
[Pages 13621-13622]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




   THE ORDEAL OF FIRST LIEUTENANT NADIYA VIKTORIVNA SAVCHENKO OF THE 
                             UKRAINIAN ARMY

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New 
York (Mr. Gibson) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. GIBSON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to address a solemn and 
pressing issue that unfortunately has not received the attention that 
is warranted. This issue is the illegal capture, transport, ongoing 
detainment, and upcoming trial of First Lieutenant Nadiya Viktorivna 
Savchenko of the Ukrainian Army by pro-Russian Ukrainian separatists 
and, now, the Russian Government.
  Lieutenant Savchenko, whose first name Nadiya means ``hope'' in 
Ukrainian, is a true patriot and hero. She was born in 1981 in what was 
then the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic and grew up in that Soviet 
Union-aligned Republic.
  At the early age of 16, 1 year younger than myself when I joined the 
United States military, Nadiya joined the Ukrainian Army as a radio 
operator and started an incredible and groundbreaking career in service 
to a free and independent Ukraine.
  Now 33, she has not only been trained as an elite paratrooper, she 
also became the first female air force pilot in the Ukrainian military. 
Her exemplary time in uniform includes service in Iraq between 2004 and 
2008 as a member of Ukrainian peacekeeping troops, during which time 
she served alongside and earned the respect of U.S. personnel, 
including Special Operations Forces.
  In fact, her tour in Iraq overlapped with part of my own time serving 
in that theater. I personally know the hardships and exemplary work 
done by our coalition forces during that difficult period, including 
Nadiya's Ukrainian contingent.

[[Page 13622]]

  She has since become a national hero and icon, serving in the 3rd 
Army Aviation Regiment and being recognized by Ukrainian defense forces 
and the United Nations. Nadiya also became a leading national figure in 
the Euromaidan demonstrations, which led to the fall of President 
Viktor Yanukovych.

                              {time}  1045

  After Yanukovych, pro-Russian forces began stoking anger and violence 
across Ukraine's eastern provinces and the Crimean Peninsula. 
Lieutenant Savchenko then joined one of many volunteer, pro-government 
units that were organized to supplement deployed government forces. As 
the leader in the Aidar Battalion, she served alongside Ukrainian 
military personnel and civilians alike to quell the Russian-supplied, -
trained, -supported, and -supplemented separatist forces.
  On June 28, Nadiya was captured by the separatists. After several 
days of unknown whereabouts, she resurfaced in Russia in the custody of 
the Russian Government on charges of murdering two Russian journalists. 
Access to her by family and Ukrainian officials has been very limited, 
and calls for her release based on her illegal capture, transport, 
transfer, and detention have gone unanswered. This is unacceptable. As 
Americans, we must recognize those who have fought alongside us and 
those who have stood up for democracy and freedom across the globe. 
Furthermore, we cannot let international law and due process be 
violated by any entity or nation.
  For these reasons, I call on the United States Government and the 
United Nations to take immediate action to seek release of First 
Lieutenant Nadiya Viktorivna Savchenko. If she, a citizen of the 
sovereign state of Ukraine and a war hero, is to face trial, she must 
be granted the full ability to do so in an open, transparent, and 
unbiased venue such as through the international court system or be 
granted the privilege of a full and proper investigation by her own 
country. Lieutenant Savchenko deserves due process of law. I further 
call on Russia to comply with its international obligations and 
immediately release Nadiya Savchenko to her family or appropriate 
authorities.

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