Ukraine’s parliament asks Savchenko to end hunger strike

Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada (parliament) has adopted an appeal to the Ukrainian pilot and deputy Nadia Savchenko calling on her to end her hunger strike. Savchenko has been on a hunger strike in a Russian prison for 80 days.

The deputies, with 329 voting “for,”  appealed to Savchenko to end her hunger strike and to preserve her life for future struggle.

Deputy Yuriy Lutsenko, head of the Petro Poroshenko bloc faction in parliament, spoke on behalf of the Verkhovna Rada.

“I think Nadiya can hear the general will of the Ukrainian parliament that has been expressed in our acknowledgment that she has done everything she could to bring the problem of Russian aggression, Russian occupation, Russian atrocities and lawlessness to the attention of the world,” he said, adding that Savchenko must save her own life.

“Nadiya, we need you here in parliament, in the European parliament, to fight the Russian occupier alive,” he said.

On Monday, March 2, President Petro Poroshenko conferred the title “Hero of Ukraine” on the Ukrainian pilot. He also emphasized that Savchenko must be released as part of the “Minsk agreements.”

German doctors who examined Savchenko recently said the “point of no return” would be reached on March 6-8. The specialists believe that after that date she will no longer be able to return to normal life and will either die or become disabled.