Russia’s permanent representative to the UN, Vasili Nebenzia, said Sunday at a UN Security Council meeting that the Western media “blatantly” present the attacks by the Ukrainian Armed Forces as the “consequences” of the military operation. of Russia in Ukraine.
The senior Russian diplomat stressed that Western representatives at Sunday’s Security Council meeting “did not find a single word of compassion for the people of Donbass.” He stated:
“In the end, it is the houses in Donbass destroyed by the Ukrainian Armed Forces and nationalists that the Western media now brazenly pass off as consequences of our military operation in Ukraine.”
Nebenzia said humanitarian aid for Donbass residents was “long overdue, and the only country providing it was essentially Russia.” She also pointed out that the uncontrolled distribution of weapons by the Ukrainian authorities to anyone who wants them endangers the safety of the country’s inhabitants. “Ukrainians are also threatened by the uncontrolled distribution of weapons by radicals and authorities to the whole world, including specially released criminals from prisons, who are already shooting in the hands of looters and marauders,” he said. her.
“Lies and Untruths”
In addition, he stated that the alleged indiscriminate use of force by Russia in the neighboring country and the attacks on nurseries and hospitals are lies and falsehoods.
“Today, in this meeting, we hear again lies and falsehoods about the indiscriminate bombing of Ukrainian cities, hospitals and schools. The Russian Army does not threaten civilians in Ukraine, it does not bomb civilians. The threat that hangs over them is that of the Ukrainian nationalists, who have taken Ukrainian residents hostage and hide behind them like human shields,” he explained.
According to Nebenzia, currently on social networks “an information war is being waged against Russia.” “As there is no evidence of the destruction of civilian infrastructure by the Russian military, Ukrainian attacks and erroneous strikes, as well as images and videos from Donbass that record only the crimes of Ukrainian nationalists, are presented as such,” detailed.
“In addition, tutorials on how to film fakes that denigrate our military operation have been posted on social media. A total of 1.2 million such fakes are circulating today on Ukrainian social media. I urge our colleagues not to contribute to spread that disinformation, although I fear that these calls will once again go unheeded,” he continued.
“Not even a hint of an attempt to find a constructive solution in the Council”
Also, the Russian representative stated that the crisis in Ukraine began when the West ignored the crimes of neo-Nazis and not with a Russian operation. He explained:
“Now we have to focus on fixing the situation that has led us to the crisis we are experiencing. It did not start with the launch of the Russian special military operation in Ukraine, but much earlier: when you pretended for eight years not to notice the crimes of the Ukrainian nationalists in Donbass”
Nebenzia said that Russia has not seen “even a glimmer of an attempt to find a constructive solution in the Council” of the United Nations by Western states. Likewise, she stressed that attempts to ignore Moscow’s position in the UN, to ignore it, “contradict the very foundations of the Charter” of the world organization. “It is necessary not to impose such schemes, but to seek common ground, no matter how much our Western partners try to avoid it,” she said.
Nebenzia’s statements came in the framework of the UN Security Council meeting, in which a resolution was approved to convene a special session of the General Assembly in relation to Russia’s military operation in Ukraine. 11 Security Council members voted in favor of the resolution, Russia voted against it, and three abstained (including China). The extraordinary meeting is expected to take place in the next 24 hours.
Chinese reaction
For his part, Zhang Jun, China’s permanent representative to the UN, said that Beijing asks all parties to act with restraint in the situation around Ukraine, adding that his country’s position on the crisis “has not changed.” . “We trust that all parties should show restraint to prevent the situation in Ukraine from worsening,” he said.
The Chinese diplomat assured that the Asian giant “supports and welcomes all diplomatic efforts that contribute to the peaceful resolution of the Ukrainian crisis and welcomes the prompt start of dialogue and direct talks between Russia and Ukraine.”
“China, for its part, supports an equal dialogue between Russia and the European Union on European security and upholding the principle of indivisibility of security to ultimately form a balanced, effective and sustainable security mechanism in Europe,” continuous.
“China believes that the Security Council should make regional peace and stability and the comprehensive security of all states its priority, and play a constructive role in resolving the Ukraine issue. UN action should defuse the situation and help achieve a diplomatic solution,” he concluded.
