Russia is focused on "eradicating Ukraine from the face of the Earth," says Ukrainian lawmaker
A Ukrainian Parliament member called on other governments to assist her democratic nation in repelling the invasion by Russia, and said failure to implement a no-fly zone increases the risk of World War III.
Lesia Vasylenko, a Ukrainian MP and mother of three, has been documenting her fight for freedom and her family's quest for safety online. She tweeted on Saturday: "The violence is killing me. The inhumanity tears my heart apart."
On Monday "CBS Mornings" co-host Nate Burleson asked, "What's your message to the global community about what Ukraine and its people need right now?"
"We need the world to stand with us, not just, like, Twitter hashtags – really come here and stand with us," Vasylenko replied. "We are a partner, a global partner of NATO, of the U.S., of Canada, of all the other countries. And as a partner, we responsibly assess our capabilities. And we do not have the capability to shoot down every single Russian missile, rocket or bomb that is fired onto the territory of Ukraine."
She also referred to protecting critical infrastructure, such as Ukraine's nuclear power stations, which already have been attacked by Russian firepower. "If we are one of these days unable to cover the sky over these nuclear reactors," she said, "you're looking at catastrophe never seen before."
"CBS Mornings" co-host Gayle King asked, "President Zelensky has been begging for a no-fly zone. If we honor that request, that puts us, the U.S., and the Western allies into World War III, and no one seems willing to take that on. What's your response to that?"
"By not covering the Ukrainian skies, you are at bigger risk then of entering World War III ever," Vasylenko said. "Russia has no resources to attack the U.S., or any NATO base for that matter. NATO is many times bigger than even the Russian army, although it's the second-biggest in the world. But Russia's not going to spend their resources and spread themselves thin, because they are focused on eradicating Ukraine from the face of the Earth.
"But what will happen – and what is a much bigger risk – is that one of these days one of our nuclear stations is going to get hit, and then you are all in trouble. Your health and your livelihood is in trouble, because this is going to be a nuclear catastrophe of the magnitude the world has never seen before."
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King asked, "People in the West, people in this country say, "This is between Russia and Ukraine, this has nothing to do with us.' Your response to that?"
"This is everything to do with you," Vasylenko said. "This is not between Russia and Ukraine; this is about the very concept of human rights, sovereign states. Are these concepts just on paper for you, or do you really believe in them? If you really believe in them, then stand up and fight for them, really fight for them.
"It's also about democracy. Look, people around the world have been gathering in meetings and protests to stop this war in Ukraine and to urge governments to act now. And the governments are telling you people that, 'Look, we know better than you.' What does that say about democracy? Does democracy even exist if the people are speaking and the government is not listening and saying that they know best? I'm sorry, but in this case, they don't know best."
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Of the refugee crisis that has already seen 1.5 million Ukrainians flee the country (many into neighboring Poland), Vasylenko said, "My main concern is for the children who are crossing often without their parents or any kind of adult supervision, because their parents had to be left behind, either because they are part of the military efforts to defend Ukraine or because they were unable to get out for some other reason, because the trains, for example, are overfilled with refugees trying to flee West."
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