Ukraine-Born Rep. Spartz Chokes Back Tears: “This Is Not a War — This Is Genocide”; Grandmother Says “Just Give Us Guns”

On 3/1/2022, Ukraine-born Republican Representative Victoria Spartz of Indiana delivered an emotional, unscripted speech pleading for stronger American action as Russia bombarded Ukrainian cities. Fighting back tears, Spartz described her 95-year-old grandmother trapped in Chernihiv under constant bombardment, women and children being used as human shields, and civilians shot at gas stations. She called Russia’s invasion “not a war” but “a genocide” and warned Biden that “the blood of many millions of Ukrainians will be on his hands too” if he did not act decisively.

”My Grandma Is 95 — She Says We Never Experienced Something Like That”

Spartz shared personal stories from her family still in Ukraine. “I have my grandma. She’s 95. She is right now in the city of Chernihiv,” Spartz said. “They’re bombing — they couldn’t take the city — they’re bombing civilians nonstop, day and night, the whole city.”

Spartz recounted a call from her grandmother’s daughter. “Her daughter told her they came into the village with a heavy machine gun, killed almost every person in that village. And whatever people who were left — women and children — they forced them to walk in front of the tanks as a human shield because they cannot take that city.”

Her grandmother’s response captured the Ukrainian spirit of resistance. “She says, ‘No, don’t cry. We are not crying here. We’re going to fight. But just give us some guns so we don’t just fight with the sticks,’” Spartz said. “This woman was born in Russia in the Far East. She’s a Russian-born woman. And they’re killing women and children.”

“My grandma is 95. She experienced Stalin. She experienced Hitler. But she says we never experienced something like that — ever. This is barbaric and brutal to the level of unbelievable,” Spartz said.

”This Is Not a War — This Is Genocide”

Spartz was unsparing in her characterization. “This is not a war. This is a genocide of the Ukrainian people by a crazy man who cannot get over that Ukrainian people do not want socialism, Soviet Union, communism — they want to be with the United States of America. They want to be free people. They want to be with the West. And he cannot get over it,” she said.

She described atrocities in graphic terms. “They do the vacuum bombs, carpet bombs. They are using illegal weapons. They now have special groups that are trying to kill women and children,” Spartz said. “I called my friend and she said she was able to get out. Her friend was trying to get out — she’s a woman at the gas station, got shot with her children with machine guns."

"Putin Is Not Playing Chess — He’s a Judo Player”

Spartz offered a sharp strategic assessment. “We need to understand that Putin is not playing chess. He’s a judo martial arts player. He understands judo — you have agility, speed, and use your enemy’s weaknesses to strike,” she said. “And he understood that we were weak. The West was weak. But he’s underestimated the West."

"What Is He Going to Wait — When a Million Have Died?”

Spartz directed her anger at Biden. “We have a president that talks about, talks about, and doesn’t do things,” she said. “What is he going to wait — when a million have died, then he is going to do more?”

“This president needs to get his act together and exercise some leadership. What’s happening under his watch is atrocity. What he’s doing to this country and the world is unforgivable,” Spartz said. “The blood of many millions of Ukrainians will be on his hands too.”

The Nuclear Precedent

Spartz raised a geopolitical argument that resonated beyond Ukraine. “Ukraine was the third-largest nuclear country — the third largest after Russia and the United States,” she said. “For a good reason, for the right reason, we took nuclear weapons from them and signed a piece of paper telling them we will guarantee your sovereignty.”

“What do you think Iran is not going to be thinking? What do you think about North Korea? If you have nuclear weapons, you are going to hold the whole world hostage. If you don’t, anyone will come for you and nobody will protect you,” Spartz warned. “What precedent are we going to set? We will create a very dangerous world if we don’t act decisively."

"We Cannot Let Him Embarrass Us”

Spartz connected the Ukraine crisis to the Afghanistan withdrawal. “He knew that we got embarrassed in Afghanistan. He wants to embarrass us again,” she said. “I am, as a member of Congress, not going to let him embarrass our country. We are the greatest country in the world. We are the strongest people in the world.”

“We need to lead because there is no one else that can lead around the world. And if we are a strong country, the rest of the world will be strong,” Spartz said.

Key Takeaways

Rep. Spartz’s 95-year-old grandmother, trapped under bombardment in Chernihiv, told her: “Don’t cry. We’re going to fight. Just give us some guns so we don’t fight with sticks.”
Spartz called Russia’s invasion “not a war” but “a genocide” and said civilians were being shot, bombed with illegal weapons, and forced to serve as human shields.
She warned Biden that “the blood of many millions of Ukrainians will be on his hands” if he did not act decisively and quickly.
Spartz argued the failure to protect Ukraine — which gave up nuclear weapons in exchange for sovereignty guarantees — would set a dangerous precedent for Iran and North Korea.
She said Putin “understood that the West was weak” and exploited that weakness with speed and aggression.

Transcript Highlights

The following is transcribed from the video audio (unverified — AI-generated from audio).

She says, don’t cry. We are not crying here. We’re going to fight. But just give us some guns so we don’t just fight with the sticks.
This is not a war. This is a genocide of the Ukrainian people by a crazy man.
My grandma is 95. She experienced Stalin. She experienced Hitler. She says we never experienced something like that — ever.
What is he going to wait — when a million have died, then he is going to do more?
Putin is not playing chess. He’s a judo player. He uses your enemy’s weaknesses to strike. He understood that we were weak.
We took nuclear weapons from them. What do you think Iran and North Korea are thinking now?

Full transcript: 1871 words transcribed via Whisper AI.