Madam Chairperson, esteemed colleagues,   

At the outset, I would like to thank once again all of you who have given words of support and expressed your sympathy during the special meeting of the Council on Tuesday, as well as to the CiO for convening it.

While a barbaric attack on children’s hospital stands alone, at the same time, the newly released reports by the UN Secretary General and OHCHR represent a horrifying account of crimes russia committed against both morality and law.

The documents confirm well-known and consistent patterns of russia’s crimes, including indiscriminate attacks and double-tap strikes, the widespread use of torture and ill-treatment, including sexual violence, against civilians and Ukrainian prisoners of war, arbitrary detention, deportation and forced transfers etc.

As noted, these violations took place in an atmosphere of overall impunity.    

The intensification of russia’s vain attempts to grasp a new piece of land, especially in the Kharkiv region, resulted in May in “the highest monthly verified civilian casualty number in nearly a year, with 174 civilians killed and 690 injured”.

Moreover, russia’s war has a devastating impact on the entire civilian population in Ukraine.

OHCHR concludes that attacks on energy infrastructure “could potentially deprive the civilian population of services necessary for its survival, particularly when the winter season starts”.

In the meantime, it already has “cascading effects on water supply, mobile and internet connectivity, and public transportation”.

Given russia’s relentless attack, it should be noted that “pregnant women and babies were particularly affected, given the low availability of maternal and newborn care services”. 

Colleagues, all these russia’s actions could be simply described as “deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part”.

This is how the UN Convention identifies genocide.     

At the same time, the UN SG report for the first time covers not only the situation in Crimea but also other parts of Ukraine temporarily occupied by russia.

It testifies to the fact that in the areas of Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine temporarily controlled or occupied by russia, “OHCHR identified potential violations of the rights to life, physical and mental integrity, liberty and security of person, such as arbitrary detentions, torture and ill-treatment, enforced disappearances, and summary executions”.

In the meantime, moscow is intensifying pressure to force the locals into the russian citizenship.

OHCHR states that “dozens of people who had left occupied territory, many of them older persons, cited lack of access to medical care without Russian citizenship as one of their main reasons for leaving”.

In fact, russia is implementing its inhuman program “russian passport for access necessary services” in the occupied territories. As a result, human life is at stake.

Let me also remind that Ukrainian citizens are facing risks of deportation or forcible transfer out of the occupied territory, according to a decree signed by Vladimir putin on 27 April 2023.  

However, should we be surprised about russia’s care of people, since vladimir putin has recently confirmed that this neo-colonial war is simply about the grab of land. 

As concluded by the UN Secretary General, that “the verified pattern of possible violations has often been even more severe in these areas [of Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk and Luhansk regions] than that verified in Crimea, in particular with respect to alleged patterns of torture or ill-treatment, including sexual violence, arbitrary detention and summary executions”.

Russia is rushing to tighten its grip. To break people’s will. To get rid of non-loyal. 

This new pattern is a wake-up call for the international community that the restoration of Ukraine’s territorial integrity is first of all about people and their lives.

Excellencies, 

“Malfunctioning Ukraine’s air-defence missile”, “attempts to blacken the russian army”, “staged provocation” – these are usual elements of russia’s disinformation puzzle.

Russian diplomats juggle with these words as soon as they need to deny russia’s responsibility for any new despicable crime.

It was the case with downing the MH17 flight, bombardment of Mariupol theatre, massacre in Bucha, numerous attacks on residential buildings.  

Most probably, we will hear the same tries later today with regard to the barbaric attack on Ukraine’s biggest kid’s hospital.  

In addition to what was said two days ago, I would like to put the record straight now.  

As we know the attack was conducted in broad day light.

The video footage clearly testifies that the Okhmatdyt hospital was a deliberate target.

The footage captured the moment the Kh-101 missile dived towards the hospital building.

Later the Security Service of Ukraine made public the pictures of the remnants of this missile, found on the spot.

So far, more than 30 remnants were identified and collected.  

And the fact that OHCHR verified 35 medical facilities damaged or destroyed by russia only from March to May confirms that the attack on the Okhmatdyt is not an isolated case but an intentional strategy.

Dear colleagues, 

Let me quote from President Zelenskyy’s recent speech, quote-unquote, when “we held the first Peace Summit attended by 101 countries and international organizations. […] Putin, in response, held his own summit – a war summit, in Pyongyang, in pair with Kim Jong Un. Just to have more artillery, missiles, and mines so that Russia can hold on at least until the end of the year. Although he does receive weapons, Putin still shows how much weaker the conspiracy of dictators is – compared to the power of the free world”.

Begging by vladimir putin to lift sanctions, when he declared so-called ultimatum to Ukraine on the 14 of June before the Peace Summit, is indicative in this regard.

He knows, these sanctions are painful for the russian economy. And the aggressive war he launched against Ukraine demands a lot of resources.

And putin is trying to end the war on the aggressor’s terms as soon as possible.

However, it is high time to reassure him about the strength, unity and solidarity of the Free World.

Therefore, strengthening sanctions, building up Ukraine’s defense capabilities, including with air-defence systems, combat jets and long-range weapons, ensuring russia’s accountability, as well as supporting Ukraine’s accession to the EU and NATO would create solid foundations for achieving a lasting and just peace in Ukraine, Europe and beyond.

We, the international community, have all the necessary capacities to do that.

And we believe that the swift translation of commitments undertaken at NATO Summit in Washington into realities on the ground is what we need to prevent the tragedies like the attack on the Okhmatdyt hospital and to ensure that the cancer of the russian aggression does not spread further. 

 

 I thank you, Madam Chairperson.