Madam Chairperson,  

Every day russia proves that it wages a total war against civilians.

Every week our statements are filled with pain and grief for killed and wounded. As well as with the resolve of my fellow citizens to continue seeking justice.

And every day russia reminds us what we are standing against. The passing week was no exception. Yesterday, a residential area was hit by russia in the city of Kharkiv, leaving a dozen of people wounded.

On the 19 of May, the russian terrorists attacked a popular recreation center in the Kharkiv region with ballistic missiles.

It was a double-tap strike, causing many civilian casualties.

Among the victims was a pregnant woman. She was expecting to give birth in two months. Some injured still remain in intensive care. 

Also, the town of Vovchansk has become a new site of russia’s crimes.

As reported by the local authorities, civilians could not flee an occupied part of the town as the russian military held them hostage.

The Ukrainian agencies are investigating the killing of a disabled person in the wheelchair in the same area.

Even these few cases demonstrate russia’s brutality and gross violations of its OSCE commitments.

In addition to the Kharkiv region, cities and settlements of the Sumy, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Mykolaiv region, cities of Dnipropetrovsk region are attacked with guided aerial bombs, missiles and drones daily.

Russia continues destroying thermal and hydro power stations, power transmission lines, transformers and other elements of Ukraine’s energy system.

As a result, Ukraine has lost a significant part of its energy generation.

According to the Ministry of energy, it’s about eight giga-Watts. This exceeds the potential of the ZNPP, the biggest NPP in Europe illegally occupied by russia.

This further amplifies human suffering in Ukraine.  

A number of measures have been elaborated to cope with the situation.

A schedule of energy cutoffs has already been introduced. This affects each and every aspect of our routine life – from cooking to access to Internet.

All these happen each and every day in Ukraine, while the russian delegation is trying to misuse the OSCE as a platform for justifying the war and distracting our attention from the committed crimes.

Dear colleagues,

Usually, people in Kharkiv and the region have less than a minute to hide.

This time is a fine line between life and possible death.

And how many lives could be saved if russia’s aggressive plans are disrupted in the early stages of the preparation?

Given the pattern of russia’s crimes during this war, the destruction of military basis, headquarters, launching pads and other military targets, wherever they are located, is the best way to protect the civilians.

There can be no safe havens for war criminals and terrorists.    

In view of this, Ukraine has to use every possibility to effectively exercise its right to self-defense as provided for by the article 51 of the UN Charter.

At the same time, current russia’s decision to restructure its defense ministry is a reminder that the war is always about a dilemma of resources.

And this dilemma is one of russia’s weaknesses we have to exploit. 

A few days ago, the International Working Group on Russian Sanctions presented new suggestions how to further limit russia’s potential to attack civilians.

Among other things, the proposed measures include:

• confiscation of the frozen assets of the Central Bank of the Russian Federation;
• enforcement of the current oil price cap and targeting russia’s shadow tankers;
• introduction of a full embargo on russian uranium, aluminum, and steel;
• resumption of the work of the Coordinating Committee for Multilateral Export Controls to enforce the ban on exports of critical technologies, equipment, and components used by russia to sustain the aggression;
• sanctioning companies and individuals involved in russia’s illicit logistics operations aimed to facilitate bypassing existing restrictive measures.

Their implementation would drastically limit russia's ability to finance its military actions and would help to stop the aggression sooner. 

This is in interest of all participating States, as russia's aggressive plans go far beyond Ukraine and threaten the whole of the OSCE area.

Just a week ago, we discussed how russia is already spreading disinformation, conducting cyber-attacks, interfering in elections, carrying out sabotage operations, blowing up military depots, poisoning people, using migrants as weapons and so on to challenge our common security.

As recent reports show, moscow will continue to challenge European borders.

This is where the OSCE must step in and keep our discussions targeted and focused on the most relevant challenges and threats to our common security.

This could be the only unifying agenda within the OSCE.   

And this is yet another reminder that supporting Ukraine is our common interest.

Furthermore, 820 days of Ukraine’s resistance is the best evidence that together we can both – stop russia’s aggression and restore the rule of law in Europe.

As Minister Kuleba recently stated, “Over the past few years, Ukraine has won on the battlefield whenever it had enough resources”.

In view of this, we are grateful to every participating State and every leader for every decision, which provides us with all the necessary weapons.

In this regard, the stalled russia’s offensive in the Kharkiv region is indicative.

According to some russian POWs, the russian occupying army was tasked with capturing the town of Vovchansk in two days.

However, this attempt has already been going on for two weeks.   

So, after failed plans to take Kyiv in three days and now Vovchansk in two days, russia finally has to take the only right decision – to withdraw its troops from the Ukrainian territory in one day.

This would open real prospects for peace and stability in Europe.  

And while the Ukrainian defenders continue repelling russian attacks, Ukraine, in close cooperation with its international partners continues to prepare the first Global Peace Summit, which will take place in Switzerland on 15-16 June based on the norms of international law and principles of the UN Charter.

Despite russia’s attempt to disrupt the Summit, it is already clear that the meeting will be truly global, leaders from all continents will be represented.

Our common position would set proper conditions for achieving a comprehensive and lasting peace in Europe.

As President Zelenskyy reiterated on numerous occasions, we are grateful to all states, all leaders, all ambassadors who help us prepare the Summit.

Dear colleagues,

Over the weekend, in Ukraine we commemorated the Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Political Repressions.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and First Lady Olena Zelenska visited the National Historical and Memorial Reserve “Bykivnia Graves”, near Kyiv.

This place is a witness of mass political repressions by the Soviet regime.

Between 1937 and 1941, it was a secret burial site for those executed by NKVD.     

However, this is more than the commemoration of victims of the totalitarian Soviet regime.

It is also a stark reminder that today’s crimes of the moscow regime is the repetition of the recent past.

Attempts to erase the Ukrainian identity, re-educate our children, kill intelligentsia and to enslave the rest is deeply rooted in russia. Moscow tried these inhuman policies in the past. They want to repeat it today.    

And this remembrance day is a stark reminder why we should do our utmost to break the vicious circle of russia’s impunity, including by establishing a Special tribunal and keeping russia accountable for each and every crime.

This is how we can prevent new tragedies in Ukraine and in any other participating State that russia considers within its “zone of influence” or as a part of so-called “historical lands”.

I thank you, Madam Chairperson.