Statement by Chargé d’Affaires a.i. Anna Evstigneeva at a UNSC Briefing on Ukraine
Mr. President,
Today, once again, the members of the Security Council are compelled to waste time on this meeting, even though the positions of the parties are well known to everyone. But our Western colleagues can hardly forgo the opportunity to try to hammer home, yet again, their mendacious narrative about an innocent Ukraine supposedly protecting the world from aggressive Russia. The script for such meetings is predictable and has remained unchanged for more than four years: we will hear well-worn, baseless accusations against our country, along with the same old platitudes about an alleged commitment to peace. Well, maybe they will add some new trendy slogans, like “enough is enough.” At the same time, in no way will they be addressing the root causes of the Ukrainian conflict or their direct role in fueling it. The crisis in Ukraine did not begin in February 2022. Anyone who claims otherwise is either poorly versed in the matter or simply lying in an attempt to avoid responsibility for the tragic events they themselves provoked. For many years, Western funding was used to cultivate anti-Russian sentiment in Ukraine. Then, in 2014, an unconstitutional coup was staged. With the direct support of Western countries, nationalist forces were brought to power and immediately embarked on a campaign of repression against the Russian-speaking population of Donbass and Crimea.
For those with poor memories, let me remind you that under the leadership of Zelensky – whose presidential campaign in 2019 was built on promises of peace, dialogue, and unity – Ukraine has ultimately morphed into an “anti-Russia” project alien to its people, aimed at eroding not only historical memory but also the cultural and spiritual identity of millions of its people. The regime has cynically trampled upon the right to life, to native language, and to security of the residents of Donbass, who for all these years have lived under shelling, blockade, and the constant threat of physical annihilation. It was precisely under Zelensky's leadership that the persecution of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, the harassment of monks, and the destruction of Orthodox holy sites took on particularly hideous and tragic manifestations.
The West was not a mere bystander to the unfolding tragic events. On the contrary, it was the West that had been propping up the Kiev regime for all these years: they used the Minsk agreements as cover while flooding Ukraine with weapons, and ultimately they turned the country into a bridgehead for war against Russia. In this context, the special military operation became a necessary response to the militarization of Ukraine, its campaign of terror against the residents of Donbass, and the direct threat to Russia’s security emanating from this country.
Mr. President,
Our European colleagues can talk all they want about peace, humanity, and the protection of civilians, but this hypocritical rhetoric can no longer conceal the main thing: they are direct participants in the conflict around Ukraine. Money, weapons, ammunition, intelligence, targeting, military training, logistics and – most importantly – torpedoing any nascent peace talks have long since become integral elements of a unified strategy aimed at inflicting maximum damage on Russia at the hands of Ukrainians. They stop at nothing: they care neither about the blood of civilians, nor about the deaths of women, the elderly, and children. And do you know why? Because they do not care how many people die – whether in Russia or in Ukraine. All this professed humanitarianism is not worth a red cent. They will continue to arm Kiev, knowing full well that this will inevitably lead to new tragedies, casualties, and destruction.
Yet the cost of this reckless policy is borne not by those making decisions from the comfort of their offices in Brussels, Berlin, Paris, and London, but rather by ordinary Europeans, whose incomes and security have become bargaining chips in someone else's geopolitical game.
Instead of supporting their own citizens, providing humanitarian aid to those most in need, or fulfilling their development assistance commitments – which would be more in keeping with the high moral ground they paint for themselves here – Western countries continue to funnel billions into supporting the corrupt regime in Kiev. Moreover, for the military-industrial complexes of these countries, Ukraine has become a genuine pot of gold. We continue to hear that “Russia is losing this war, but at the same time it can attack NATO countries at any moment.” This is a claim that defies even basic logic, but still it is persistently being drummed into the heads of European citizens and members of the international community, because all of this militarization needs to be somehow justified. This has become simply an insult to the intellectual abilities of those who, in principle, can put two and two together. But Europeans get very excited: Let us try to defeat Russia one more time. Why not unleash an even bigger war? – Maybe this time we’ll succeed?
Further proof of this came with the announcement made following the NATO summit in Ankara on July 8 regarding the allocation of 70 billion euros in military assistance to Ukraine and keeping the same level of support next year. At the same time, it is being emphasized that the confrontation between the alliance and Russia is existential in nature. What exactly makes it existential, however, is not being explained.
Mr. President,
The multi-billion-dollar injections into the corrupt Kiev regime and the sense of complete impunity have left Zelensky with no sense of shame whatsoever. The Nord Stream sabotage and attempted assassinations of dissidents within EU countries are one part of the story, which is already difficult to sweep under the rug. But what is far more alarming is the fact that outright terrorist attacks are now being carried out against the civilian population, residential neighborhoods, public and private transport, social institutions, as well as vital infrastructure and the energy sector. Over the past three months, more than 55,000 munitions and drones have been launched. From June 29 to July 5, Ukrainian attacks affected 308 Russian civilians: 270 people were injured, including eight children, and 38 people were killed, including one child. Among the most serious crimes committed by the Ukrainian troops in the past week alone were the following: a strike on the municipal market in Tokmak, which claimed the lives of five civilians; an attack on a passenger bus in Lisichansk; and the death of a six-month-old girl as a result of a drone strike on a residential building in Yegoryevsk, Moscow Region.
On July 2, in the Bryansk Region, a Ukrainian drone hit a tourist bus traveling on the Minsk–Gomel–Anapa route. Three people were injured. This is already the second attack on Belarusian nationals in two weeks. On June 29, the Security Council already met at the request of our Belarusian colleagues following a strike by the Ukrainian armed forces on a bus carrying children. There is no doubt that Bankovaya is deliberately seeking to expand the geographical scope of the conflict, provoke Minsk into taking harsh retaliatory measures, and drag Belarus into a further escalation.
The Ukrainian troops continue attacks on Russian civilian nuclear facilities. On July 5, a Ukrainian fixed-wing UAV hit the cooling tower of a power unit under construction at the Kursk NPP-2; as a result, a hole two meters in diameter was formed. Attacks on Energodar, a satellite city of the Zaporozhye NPP, continue unabated. From June 29 to July 6, there were attacks on the southern checkpoint, an Emergency Situations Ministry building, residential buildings, and trucks. Two people were injured as a result. This is not an act of military valor, but a dangerous gamble with potentially catastrophic consequences for the entire region. Zelensky continues to play with fire, giving no thought whatsoever to the far-reaching consequences of these criminal actions. And he is constantly being indulged in doing so.
Under these circumstances, it is deeply regrettable that the UN Secretariat tends to pursue a selective approach and “double standards” on this matter. Over the past week alone, the UN Secretary-General has twice condemned Russian strikes allegedly targeting civilian facilities in Ukraine. We categorically reject these baseless allegations. At the same time, numerous attacks by the Ukrainian army on civilian infrastructure and terrorist acts against civilians on Russian soil have never been directly condemned by UN officials.
We are also surprised by Ms. DiCarlo’s extensive remarks regarding alleged human rights violations in Crimea. Meanwhile, dissenters in Ukraine have either already been killed, are in prison, or have fled the country. In Latvia, too, civil society activists and defenders of the rights of the Russian-speaking population are in prison, including Alexander Gapenko, Viktor Gushchin, and many others. And what about the fact that the Russian language is essentially outlawed in Ukraine? Speaking Russian can cost a person not only their health, but even their life. Is that acceptable? We are still waiting for the response from the Secretary-General to our letter, in which we draw attention to Zelensky’s latest outrageous actions in this regard.
We are also waiting for Mr. Guterres’s reaction to the photos and video footage from the scene of the tragedy in Starobelsk, as well as to the witness testimonies handed over on June 6 to Vladimir Kuznetsov, Director of the UN Information Center in Moscow, during a meeting at the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. We stand ready to facilitate a UN verification visit to Starobelsk via Moscow, as was done by the Red Cross delegation on June 2.
Mr. President,
We cannot allow the crimes of the Kiev regime to go unpunished. In the early hours of July 6, in response to terrorist attacks, the Russian Armed Forces used long-range precision weapons and strike UAVs to hit facilities of the military-industrial complex and military airfield infrastructure in the Dnepropetrovsk, Poltava, Cherkassy, Chernigov, and Kiev regions. In Kiev and the Kiev region, facilities involved in weapons production were struck. In addition, strikes were carried out against fuel supply facilities used to support the Ukrainian army. Contrary to the narrative promoted by Ukrainian propaganda, the targets were not civilian objects but elements of military infrastructure directly employed in hostilities against Russia. The whole world saw footage of a secondary detonation at what was initially presented as a civilian facility, but which actually turned out to be an ammunition depot in the Kiev suburb of Vishnevoe. This is clear evidence that the civilian population is being used as a human shield.
Another narrative promoted in Ukraine is that Kiev has seized the initiative on the battlefield. But it has not. Since the beginning of the year, 133 towns and villages have been liberated, and more than 3,000 square kilometers of the territories of Donbass and Novorossiya have been brought under control. In June alone, 29 populated areas were liberated. Russia established full control over Konstantinovka, a key component of the Slavyansk-Kramatorsk-Konstantinovka fortified area. These are the real facts. However, in his pursuit of yet another tranche of Western assistance, Zelensky is presenting strikes against Russian infrastructure as a “turning point” that will supposedly force Russia to agree to a ceasefire. And once again, this is simply not the case. We can hear perfectly well the statements made by representatives of the Kiev regime, including the head of Zelensky’s office, Budanov, who has made it clear that no one in Kiev is genuinely seeking peace. They are prepared to fight for years, pushing “escalation to the maximum,” thereby driving their own country toward self-destruction. We can also hear perfectly well how Kiev’s Western patrons, while hiding behind rhetoric about peace, connive at attacks deep into Russia, claiming that this will somehow help end the war. Escalation will not bring peace; it will only lead to even greater destruction and more casualties. And there are no grounds whatsoever for the Russian Federation to stop pursuing all the goals of the special military operation.
Thank you.
