Statement of the Permanent Representative Vassily Nebenzia at the UNSC Arria Formula meeting “10 years of Euromaidan in Ukraine: a step into abyss”
Opening remarks:
Dear Colleagues,
Today’s meeting is dedicated to the tenth anniversary of the so-called Euromaidan in Kiev – mass anti-government protests, pre-orchestrated and financed by the West, that led to a bloody anti-constitutional coup d'etat and became a turning point in the history of modern Ukraine. Maidan launched a chain of truly tragic events that continue to play out before our eyes.
We already had one Arria-formula meeting on Maidan in June 2021. Our invited briefers shared truly astonishing facts about how Ukraine was placed under external control or how American intelligence services conducted training for opposition leaders. I recommend that everyone watch it. You can find the link to the video record of that meeting via QR-code that you have in front of you on your tables and that we will share on the screen at the end of this meeting.
Today I will not go into details of what happened during those terrible months in Kiev starting on 21 November 2013. Our speakers who witnessed events of Maidan firsthand will have the opportunity to tell us how the events unfolded. Let me just remind you that the protests started in response to a decision by President Viktor Yanukovych to temporarily suspend the signing of Association Agreement with the EU. That decision was absolutely legitimate and substantiated, guided by the need to ensure sovereign national interests of Ukraine.
Our first briefer, renowned economist and publicist, Mikhail Khazin, will tell us more about the choice that Ukraine had at that time and what the Association Agreement brought to the Ukrainian economy and people.
Thank you for your profound analysis and scientific approach to this multi-faceted issue.
Now even pro-European Ukrainians don’t deny that the Association Agreement was disadvantageous for Ukraine and its implementation did more harm than good. We are not surprised by this outcome, not only because we warned about these consequences ten years ago, but also because we know this is a typical scheme of neocolonial exploitation by Western countries that they impose on all those who agree to implement their geopolitical agenda.
With this in mind, it is easier to answer the question why the decision of the Ukrainian government to postpone the signing of this Agreement was met with so well-organized and coordinated protests. We have no doubt about the key role of the EU and the USA in igniting, encouraging and directing the protest of a loud minority using far-right radicals and neo-Nazis as a leverage. Western experts and politicians nowadays are increasingly vocal about this. One of the latest confirmations came from Congressman Thomas Massie, who bluntly said that the United States helped overthrow the elected government.
We are well aware of the disinformation technologies that were used at Maidan. Supposedly independent media and NGOs that in reality were financed by Western intelligence services instilled hatred and fear towards the authorities in the masses, manipulated public opinion, distorted and even falsified information.
Let’s take a closer look at how it unfolded.
In addition to these methods regularly tested in other regions of the world, we witnessed the cynical, undisguised interference of foreign curators in the domestic political situation of Ukraine. High-ranking diplomats and politicians from the United States and the European Union openly participated in the rallies in Independence Square. Of course, Victoria Nuland is notorious for handing out cookies in Kiev. Those “cookies”, as she admitted in 2014, cost the United States 5 billion dollars. This amount of money was used to plot, finance and implement a coup-d’état in Kiev.
Obviously, such an operation could not be done traceless and there is an enormous amount of evidence that shed light on true causes and goals of Euromaidan. No person could know more about it than our next briefer – Head of the Ukrainian Ministry of Interior at that time Mr. Vitaly Zakharchenko.
Remarks by Mr.Vitaly Zakharchenko
Thank you. I think, I cannot add more to what you have already disclosed to us.
Among researchers who have studied Euromaidan, let me distinguish our next briefer – Mr. Maxim Grigoriev, a prominent civil society leader who meticulously studied the genesis of the protests. Currently he is bravely collecting evidence of war crimes of Ukrainian armed forces against people of Donbass.
I would like to notice that the electronic version of Mr.Grigoriev's book “Euromaidan” is also available through the link that we will share at the end.
One of the bloody milestones of Maidan that our speakers have already mentioned was a mysterious assassination of dozens of both police officers and protesters by, as it was presented, unknown snipers. Perpetrators and organizers of this crime have still not been prosecuted, and the circumstances around the tragedy clearly show that the beneficiaries of those killings were the Maidan leaders.
The idea was that this would evoke empathy for the victims and provoke fear towards the then country’s leadership, which was allegedly unable to protect its population. Let us show you the following video about those events.
However, no story can be more vivid than a story of a person who was there, at Maidan. Let us hear the story of Mr. Dmitry Sabyna – head of one of the units of “Berkut” special police force who tried to protect the public order. But before I give him the floor, I would like to say that some our colleagues apprehensively left and are trying to leave the room when our Ukrainian briefers speak to us. I think it is not appropriate or dignified. Have the courage to face the truth. Let the person speak out – the person who has firsthand witnessed what happened in Maidan.
Mr.Sabina, I think you are too modest saying that you are not accustomed to speaking before the camera. Your true and emotional evidence is extremely important. We regret that not all of the Council members chose to listen to you. I will ask them when they come back why that happened.
We all know what happened after Maidan. Radical neo-Nazis seized power and turned their rage against the Russian-speaking population of southeastern Ukraine who refused to abandon their language and culture. The war in Donbass was launched by the Kiev regime. Let us watch the following video.
What are the results of such a cynical, anti-democratic, inhumane and simply criminal policy of the Kiev regime towards its own people? The results are tragic and disastrous. Simply put, Ukraine is in ruins. The country had to give up everything – its sovereignty, the right to determine its future, its historical, cultural and religious Slavic background and ties with Russia. It survives now on handouts from the Western masters and grants from international organizations.
The hopes of those who came to Maidan turned to dust. Men with no experience or military training are used to plug the gaps on the frontline now. Glorification of Nazi collaborators, physical elimination of undesirable politicians, ban on the use of the Russian language, persecution of national minorities and the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, closure of independent media, corruption at all levels of government. These are the true results of Euromaidan.
Before the remarks by the representative of the United Kingdom:
We were informed before the meeting that the UK and the following two speakers would not listen to our Ukrainian briefers because they are on their (and Ukrainian) national sanctions list. Let me ask a question. Dmitry [Polyanskiy] and myself are on the Ukrainian sanctions list too, let alone the infamous “Mirotvorets” site. What does it entail for us? Are you applying the same approach to us as well? I am speaking the whole session through, and not only here.
Closing remarks:
What I would like to say before closing is that from many of you we heard the same narrative many times over. So there were no revelations today. Unfortunately, you demonstrate unwillingness and inability to rise above your ideologized paradigm and continue reading the same usual script. I would like to ask a question, perhaps a rhetorical one, to the representatives of the US, UK (who has already left), Albania, France (who mentioned it), and perhaps Switzerland. How do your democratic countries tolerate it when your protesters, rioters, and mobs, for that matter, use violence against the police, especially with firearms? I think the answer is obvious. I heard from the representative of Malta that the legacy of Maidan inspires until the present day. I regret that you are encouraged by the example of Maidan, the event that was orchestrated and lied about, the event that led Ukraine to abyss, the event that was presented as a revolution of dignity but turned into a revolution of disgrace.
Colleagues,
The main problem is that you, whether knowingly or not, try to ignore obvious facts – on the true nature of Maidan which renders the whole construction of Kiev regime rotten and corrupt. By doing so, with every word you say you devalue democracy and human rights that your governments claim to uphold. Please do not be surprised that when the regime in Ukraine crumbles, there will be your share in its destiny. And that is a disgrace.
As I see no other questions, let me conclude with the following. The history of Maidan is important in order to understand the origins of the current decline and erosion of Ukraine as a state. While true instigators and beneficiaries of the coup-d’état from the West are well known, they stubbornly refuse to take the responsibility for its consequences. More than that, they turn a blind eye to all the crimes of Kiev regime as long as it keeps fighting Russia. Unfortunately, statements by delegations of those countries just clearly showed that.
Maidan, however, should serve as a warning for everyone who is being deceived by the West in its criminal pursuit of new pawns to promote its devastating and selfish geopolitical agenda. We are confident that most responsible and truly sovereign Member States clearly see through that.
I would like to draw your attention to the fact that all materials presented today by the briefers and our Mission are available via the QR code that you now see on the screen. The in-person participants of the meeting can find its hard copy on their tables. Relevant links will also be published on the Mission's website and online accounts.
Thank you.
