Watch: Ukrainian Volunteer Delivers Powerful Plea For Action In European Parliament Speech
Ukrainian volunteer Tata Kepler delivered a harrowing and deeply personal speech, urging Europe to stop tolerating the ongoing atrocities committed against Ukrainians — especially women and children — by Russian forces.
Speaking at the EP’s plenary session celebration of International Women’s Day, Kepler delivered a powerful plea for action during her speech.
Kepler, who has worked extensively in military medicine, has visited over 700 de-occupied territories and front-line zones, assisting civilians in some of the most devastated areas of Ukraine.
She also revealed a “silent” project, aimed at helping families who have survived sexual violence at the hands of Russian soldiers. The youngest victim she assisted was just four years old, the oldest was 75.
She recounted the story of a four-year-old girl from a de-occupied village—too young to even comprehend the horror she had endured. Kepler recalled how, when buying warm clothes for the child, she picked up a tiny gray jumpsuit.
When her friend turned it around, they saw the words stitched on the knees: “Stay safe. Always.” The moment crushed her. “I realised I would never be able to keep her safe again,” she said.
Throughout her speech, Kepler painted a devastating picture of a nation forever scarred by war. She spoke of standing in Bucha, where civilians were executed at point-blank range, of holding the hands of a woman begging for help after her husband and brother were murdered, and of a pharmacist waiting over a year to bury her husband’s body.
“My country and I will never return from this war. We can come home from it, but we will never return.”
Kepler highlighted the 130,000 Ukrainian women currently serving in the country’s security and defense sectors — the highest number in Europe.
She reminded those present that tens of thousands of Ukrainian women are waiting for loved ones to return from Russian captivity, while tens of thousands more will never see them again.
But perhaps the most chilling statistic came when she spoke about Ukrainian children. More than 1.3 million Ukrainian children remain in occupied territories. Russia itself has reported that 744,000 Ukrainian children have been “exported”—a clear acknowledgment of mass abduction.
“744,000 children kidnapped in the centre of Europe!” she exclaimed. “I ask you to stop tolerating this with your silence.”
Kepler ended her speech with a call for action, condemning inaction and empty sympathy. “Grammatically, Ukraine is a feminine word. We are bombed. They try to annex and destroy us. But I am proud to have been born and to live in Ukraine—a country of courage.”
Her final words echoed through the chamber: “Glory to Ukraine. Glory to Ukrainian heroes and heroines.”
Featured image: Svidomi
What do you make of this powerful plea?
READ NEXT: Nine Days Missing: Police Question Close Contacts Of Dar Merħba Resident Martin Ambinette
