Statement by Permanent Representative Vassily Nebenzia at a UNSC Briefing on Threats to International Peace and Security Caused by ISIL
Madam President,
We congratulate Denmark on assuming the presidency of the Security Council, and we hope that it will be a successful month. We also thank the Democratic Republic of the Congo for its presidency last month.
At the outset, I would like to thank the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT) and the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED) for their contribution to preparing the Secretary-General's report on the threats posed by ISIL. We highly value their efforts in the areas under their purview.
We concur with most of the report's conclusions and assessments. We are seriously alarmed by the growing threats emanating from ISIL and its affiliates across the African continent, as well as by the increasingly sophisticated extremist and terrorist propaganda techniques and means of committing terrorist attacks. The use by terrorists of new and emerging technologies – including digital financial assets, artificial intelligence, and unmanned aerial vehicles – constitutes a serious challenge that requires a coordinated response from the international community.
Given the above, there is an ever greater need to adopt an additional protocol to the UN Convention against Cybercrime, which was introduced by Russia during the thirty-fifth session of the United Nations Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (CCPCJ).
Russia supports efforts, including those carried out through the relevant UNOCT project, to curb the growing trend of digital currencies and electronic payment systems being used for funding terrorism. With our assistance, a relevant guideline has been developed and published, which has set the stage for the analytical and practical work of national experts in this field.
We are seriously concerned by the issue of foreign terrorist fighters (FTFs). Having gained combat experience in the Middle East, many of them are now actively moving to their countries of origin or to other hot spots. We need to step up efforts to prevent and counter their activities and movement. We do hope that this issue will receive greater attention in future reports of the Secretary-General.
We consistently support UNOCT's efforts to enhance the capacities of Member States. In particular, through Russia's voluntary contribution, the Office has provided technical assistance to countries in Africa and Central Asia as part of a project to prevent weapons from falling into the hands of terrorists, with comprehensive analytical materials and practical recommendations prepared. Less than a month ago, Moscow successfully hosted a high-level meeting focusing on the implementation of Security Council resolution 2370 in the countries of Central Asia.
We also attach particular importance to counter-terrorism cooperation within BRICS, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), and the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), which Russia chairs this year. The June meeting of the CSTO Council of Foreign Ministers resulted in the endorsement of the CSTO Counter-Terrorism Strategy through 2030.
Madam President,
Particular attention should also be devoted to the issue of countering the spread of terrorist and extremist ideologies, including neo-Nazism. Responses to this challenge must take into account the specific circumstances, capacities, and needs of each particular country.
We do not approve of imposing on developing countries the narrow and misleading concept of "violent extremism", which is based on the dangerous misconception that extremism becomes a threat only when it takes violent forms. In today's age of advanced information technologies, the dissemination of extremist ideologies itself is to be viewed as incitement to commit serious crimes. It is noteworthy that, while seeking to impose the concept of "violent extremism" on others, a number of Western countries criminalize all forms of extremism within their own jurisdictions. In this regard, we advocate for an objective analysis of the full spectrum of contemporary approaches to countering extremism, including within the framework of the UNOCT meta-synthesis study, which was presented on the margins of the UN Counter-Terrorism Week in July.
Madam President,
The breeding ground for international terrorism is created through the practice of double standards, the advancement of hidden agendas, and the deliberate creation of obstacles to cooperation among competent national authorities.
A striking example in this regard is the sabotage of the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines in September 2022. Russian competent authorities have opened a criminal investigation into this incident qualifying it as an act of international terrorism. However, we have yet to see the necessary cooperation from the States concerned in accordance with their obligations under the relevant international conventions. Meanwhile, it was primarily the people of the European Union who suffered from this terrorist attack. Russian gas was used to heat homes and sustain industrial production across Europe. At its peak, supplies through Nord Stream 1 accounted for up to half of Germany's annual natural gas demand.
According to a press release issued by the German Federal Prosecutor's Office in June, charges were brought against a Ukrainian national who, acting with accomplices and on instructions from "Ukrainian State authorities", organized and carried out this terrorist attack. Nevertheless, the German authorities continue to transfer tens of billions of euros to the Kiev regime, whose actions, according to Berlin's own assessments, have harmed millions of ordinary Germans.
Madam President,
Today, the center of gravity of international terrorism has shifted to the African continent, which is, largely, the consequence of the support provided to illegal armed groups by former colonial powers driven by neo-colonial ambitions. Recent clashes with terrorists in Mali demonstrated that fighters are capable of launching simultaneous large-scale attacks on the country's major cities, which would hardly be possible without organizational, financial, and military support from State actors.
In July, following consultations between the foreign ministers of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) and Russia, a joint statement was adopted condemning the criminal collusion between Ukraine, France, certain other countries, and terrorist groups operating in the Sahel.
The terrorist activities of the Kiev regime in Africa warrant our particular attention. These include the supply of unmanned aerial vehicles and the direct training of terrorists by Ukrainian military instructors. There have also been documented cases of Western weapons supplied to Kiev ending up in the hands of fighters not only in Africa, but also in Latin America and the Middle East. Even US oversight authorities have raised questions regarding the use of military assistance provided to Kiev by the Biden Administration.
The Kiev regime has long been fully dependent economically and militarily on the EU and NATO countries, which exploit Ukraine to wage a proxy war against Russia. What they do in Africa is no different. By drawing Ukrainians into supporting terrorist groups in the Sahel, Western sponsors are once again pursuing their own objectives using someone else's hands.
Madam President,
Facing defeat on the battlefield, the Zelensky regime has resorted to increasingly brutal acts of terror against Russia's civilian population. Each and every day, Kiev carries out targeted attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure using missile and artillery systems, unmanned aerial vehicles, remote mining devices, cluster munitions, and booby traps, including those manufactured by NATO member States. Terrorist attacks against the personnel of the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant have also continued unabated. The July murder of specialists responsible for nuclear and radiation safety and security, along with the relentless strikes targeting the ZNPP’s territory, demonstrates Kiev's intent to disrupt its operation and create the threat of a large-scale technological catastrophe. Meanwhile, the EU and NATO countries are openly bragging about facilitating Kiev's terrorist attacks through supplying thousands of drones and missiles to Ukraine.
Madam President,
The Russian Federation has consistently advocated for strengthening international counter-terrorism cooperation on the basis of the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy adopted in July, while preserving the central and coordinating role of the United Nations in ensuring a sustainable reduction of the terrorist threat and enhancing international peace and security.
The Russian Federation remains open to cooperation with all constructively minded States and relevant UN agencies, without pursuing any hidden agendas and double standards.
Thank you.
