As an act of participation in the "Russia is a terrorist state/essay contest," I wish to use this contest to reaffirm my support for Ukraine amid the war and to unequivocally declare that Russia is a terrorist state with an obsession with oppression. Russia's absolute disregard for Ukraine's sovereignty and its people is an act of terrorism. A man's recklessness and selfish ambition have made millions of people homeless and restless. Lives wasted and homes destroyed! Moscow's monstrous beings have turned beautiful places into desolate places, and Ukraine, known for its peace, has transformed into a crime scene with Moscow beasts as actors.

The international criminal court's description of Ukraine as a crime scene and its deployment of a massive team of detectives to Ukraine to assist in several investigations are indicators of the magnitude of the war crimes committed by Russian soldiers in Ukraine; an attestation of the terrible and horrible nature of Russians. In fact, without looking far, one can easily conclude that the invasion of Ukraine that started on the 24th of February, 2022 began as a war crime because a war that started without a justifiable reason has no better description than crime. The launch of a full attack on Ukraine by the Russian Federation on baseless grounds and false claims is inhuman. And to see Vladimir Putin cunningly refute all possible means to avert the war revealed the undisclosed intent of his heart. His repulsive attitude toward dialogue as a viable tool for conflict resolution shows how far he is ready to go in seeing his selfish ambitions achieved, even if it means perpetrating more war crimes in Ukraine.

Although Russia repeatedly denies targeting civilians, hunting, and hurting them, the number of war victims keeps skyrocketing, with civilian residents constantly attacked by Russian soldiers. Moreso, to think or expect Russian soldiers would keep away from Ukraine residential territories and give prior honor to their human rights is a mirage. Judging from Putin's continuous show of resentment toward Ukrainians, the abuse of Ukrainians during a full-blown war by Russian soldiers is a sure bet, with Putin's armies considering war crimes as satisfying their master. In a nutshell, Vladimir Putin has indirectly programmed his soldiers into war monsters who vent their hatred toward Ukrainians by molesting, raping, torturing, killing, looting, discriminating, and deporting them.

The eastern Donbas region that marks the point of fierce engagement of Russian and Ukrainian soldiers has recorded thousands of war crimes committed by Russian soldiers. Ms. Venediktova, a renowned politician cum lawyer in her statement, mentioned the trafficking of young and old Ukrainians to different parts of Russia and the killing and destruction of lives and property as part of the many war crimes committed by Russian soldiers in the region. Furthermore, Reporter Valérie Gauriat in his reportorial on Russia's war crime euronew.witness shared the tragedic experiences of war crime victims and witnesses. He narrated the ordeal of Sasha, a man in his late 20s whose friend got killed in Irpin right before his eyes. Also, Mykola, who lived in Andriivkata, shared the tale of how his son was shot dead by a Russian soldier. Another lady Tetiana expressed the horrific sight of her mother who got killed by a Russian sniper. Reporter Gauriat further highlighted a rape case involving a mother and her daughter who were repeatedly raped before each other for days. He noted that fear and trauma will prevent a few rape victims from sharing their experiences. Bodies trapped in burnt cars and beneath rumbles are a few of the war crimes committed by these Russian monsters. [Source](https://www.euronews.com/2022/05/24/war-crimes-in-ukraine-they-said-they-came-to-liberate-us-they-liberated-us-from-life-itsel)

Nevertheless, one cannot but salute Ukraine soldiers for their unwavering ability to resist Russia's military force and maintain the territorial integrity of their country. Kudos to them for this! However, Ukraine yet remains in a critical situation with a great need for international and individual support. Since Russia has not eased nor stopped its terrorism act, other countries and individuals therefore must mobilize more support and aid for Ukraine.

As part of my country's support for Ukraine, the Nigerian government voted in support of Ukraine during the United Nations General Assembly resolution that condemns Russia's invasion of Ukraine and demands the immediate withdrawal of Russian soldiers from Ukraine. Also, the Nigeria has a list of over 100 Nigerians who are awaiting visas from the Ukraine embassy in Nigeria to go support Ukraine in the war. These are a few support Nigeria provides apart from the national prayer for Ukraine's peace and restoration.

However, while I may not able to ascertain whether Nigeria supports the Ukraine government by hosting a fragment of Ukraine's population as refugees in Nigeria, I know for sure that the Nigerian government evacuated over 5000 Nigerians from Ukraine, part of which are people with dual citizenship, that is, Nigeria-Ukraine citizens.

In the same vein, speaking of my participation and personal support for Ukraine in this trialing moment, have contributed more in prayers and in dishing out words of encouragement and hope to Ukrainians in any of the online communities I find myself. I understand the power of words in war. I know that the right words can sustain and revive strength. I have learned from history that words were the instrument Adolf Hitler used in motivating and driving his armies to undeserved temporal victory. I too have considered my words of encouragement as potent tools for supporting and sustaining Ukrainians who may be weary in heart. I understand that the war would have had its toll on many Ukrainians therefore speaking and publishing words of encouragement that help revitalize Ukrainians and enable them to look away from their present predicament to see the latter restoration of Ukraine is of necessity. Thus, I give spiritual support which I perform through prayer and also provide a degree of psychological relief which I render through written and spoken words.

Ukraine may have been badly hit by the war and its people displaced but the firm stance of Ukraine is commendable and with this, I envisage victory for Ukraine. Ukraine's ability to withstand the weight of the war has taken Russia off balance and sustaining it for a longer time will bring its remarkable dividends. Putin never knew the war would last for this long. And to think that Zelensky will hold him back was the least he expected. Therefore, I am convinced that Zelensky's resilience that has kept Putin away from victory can equally bring Ukraine victory. His unperturbed appearance and his resilience will keep the spirit of Ukrainians alive and power them up to victory.

Nevertheless, it is worthy to note that demilitarizing the Russian's federation in other to attain victory is necessary. And demilitarizing is the collective effort of all Ukrainians. But in all sincerity, those at the war front have greater work to do. For the Russian's federation to be demilitarized, the following must be noted:

1. President Zelensky's life must be guarded jealously. He must be well protected. The lives of all Ukrainians matter but for Russia to be demilitarized and defeated, Zelensky's survival is very important. Zelensky is the life of many Ukrainians in this moment. Zelensky has kept the hope of many Ukrainians alive. His soldiers see him as the source of hope and strength. The fall of Zelensky is also the elimination of Ukraine. This is why all betrayals must be killed once detected.

2. Live footage of Russian war crimes is very necessary. The international community has been very careful in intervening in the war because they fear the war may escalate into another world war. But with the circulation of obvious live footage revealing the massacre of Ukrainians and the beastly nature of Russian soldiers, the international community can be persuaded to intervene or act as a result of the agitation of worldwide protesters who will not mind that the war escalates into a world war. These are the ways I feel the Russian Federation can be demilitarized.

I won't follow the traditional way of writing a conclusion which implies restating all the abovementioned points, but will conclude by reminding Ukrainians of their national anthem. It is an anthem of total allegiance to Ukraine no matter the situation. It reads:

Ще не вмерла України і слава, і воля, Ще нам, браття молодії, усміхнеться доля. Згинуть наші воріженьки, як роса на сонці. Запануєм і ми, браття, у своїй сторонці.

Душу й тіло ми положим за нашу свободу,
І покажем, що ми, браття, козацького роду.


English version