Mr. Chairperson, dear colleagues,  

At the outset, I would like to thank the CIO and ODIHR for convening the Warsaw Human Dimension Conference, as well as Poland as a hosting country for ODIHR for traditional hospitality.

We appreciate all the efforts of North Macedonia Chairpersonship aimed at ensuring stable and effective work of the OSCE despite russia’s obstructionism.

As we defend the rules-based international order against russia’s attacks, the aggressor state cannot be allowed to dictate its own rules in the OSCE. Sitting at this table is already too big a privilege for the aggressor state.

As russia generates more crimes and violence, these human dimension events are extremely important.

Killings of civilians, torture, enforced disappearance, abduction of activists, persecution based on opinion, nationality and religion etc., have once again become topical.

We are also grateful to our partners for organizing in Warwas a joint event on the deportation of children by russia. It was a sobering event reminding us that time is not on the children’s side.

Efforts to ensure their safe return to Ukraine and russia’s accountability for this crime should be redoubled. I would like to reiterate a call for the OSCE to step in with its expertise and resources.

In times of war, the work of the international organizations, courts, human rights and monitoring bodies is more than important.  

Yesterday’s presentation by the UN Monitoring Mission of a periodic report and its findings clearly testify to that.  

First of all, it sheds additional light on the killing of Ukrainian POWs in Olenivka in August last year. OHCHR assessed that “the incident was not the result of HIMARS rockets”, as claimed by russia.

Moreover, “the damage to the barracks appeared consistent with a projected ordnance originating from the east”.

After all, it is not surprising, that “the Russian Federation provided neither satisfactory assurances about secure access for the United Nations to visit the particular site, nor granted general requests by the UN Human Rights Office to access occupied areas of Ukraine”.

Furthermore, during the reporting period, as stated by the mission, russia’s war claimed six human lives per day.

20 more people were left wounded. It is a horrifying statistic.   

Civilians face daily attacks by explosive weapons with wide area effects. In this regard, the intensity of artillery fire speaks for itself.

As reported by the Ukrainian General Staff, on October 3, more than 120 settlements in Chernihiv, Sumy, Kharkiv, Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions were under artillery fire. On October 2, about 100 settlements were targeted.

One can just imagine what a level of destruction this fire caused along the frontline.  At the same time, missiles and drones bring suffering and destruction deeper into Ukraine’s territory.

In September alone, russia used 246 missiles of various types, 746 combat drones, including 538 Iranian Shaheds, and 1159 guided bombs against Ukraine.

Only yesterday Beryslav region, Kherson, was hit with more than 10 guided bombs.

And even this night, 29 drones again attacked Ukrainian regions.  Moreover, the occupied territories have been turned by russia into a ghetto.

As confirmed by the UN mission, those who refuse russian passport are denied access to basic services, including medical.

Refusniks are also the first in the list for arbitrary detention. Usually, this entails torture and inhuman treatment.

This is how russia is consolidating its administrative regime. As it was in the case of Crimea. With despair. Fear. Torture.  

However, the availability of the russian passport brings new risks of being mobilized or called up for military service in the occupation army.

Therefore, the announcement by the russian president of a new conscription campaign on October 1, including in the occupied territories, just confirmed that.  

This war crime should be properly assessed by the OSCE. 

This brings to 18 the overall number of illegal drafts conducted in Crimea since the beginning of the occupation in 2014. And, as we know, occupied Crimea plays a special role in russia’s ongoing aggression.

The peninsula remains a key logistic hub for the occupation forces operating in the southern regions of Ukraine. It is also one of the launching pads for russia’s missiles and drones.

The Chauda Cape has already become a synonymous for launches of Iranian Shaheds, including against critical port infrastructure in the Odesa region.

And Crimea has been turned by russia into a prison aimed to break the resistance to the occupation. Every day brings new human rights violations and abuses.

A few days ago, the occupiers illegally removed Nariman Dzhelyal and Akhtem brothers from Crimea to the russian territory. A clear and severe violation of international law.

Another political prisoner - Abdulmedzhyt Seytumerov (Абдулмеджит Сейтумеров) – has been transferred from a prison to the psychiatric hospital in Simferopol. A punitive psychiatry in action.

All this proves that as long as russia occupies Crimea, it will remain a base for russia’s aggressive actions against Ukraine.   

Dear colleagues,

Precisely 20 years ago, in October 2003, vladimir putin committed a first attempt to change Ukraine’s border. Then the escalation was developing around a small Tuzla Island in the Kerch Strait.

Just three years in office and still hope for changes in russia, putin started to test the waters for his already existing aggressive plans. The only limit to his ambitions was the lack of resources.   

When faced with Ukraine’s clear readiness to defend its land, moscow simply explained the aggressive act as a local initiative and retreated.   

Years passed. Aggression against Georgia, occupation of Crimea and parts of Donetsk and Luhansk regions, and finally a full-scale war against Ukraine followed. The sequence of events shows that russia’s appetite has been growing together with the availability of resources and feeling of impunity.

And these days messages from Moscow are clear what is the endpoint.

By delivering a speech on the occasion of the attempted annexation of Ukraine’s four regions on September 30, the russian president gave us a ride to the dark past.

The rhetoric about a historical reunification of one people in the name of a brighter future leaves no doubts. The devastating consequences of the spread of totalitarian ideology and systematic violation of international law are looming ahead of us.

This ideology can have different names – Ruscism, Nazism, Fascism, or Stalinism.

However, their core is the same - hatred for everything human and readiness to kill on an industrial scale. This understanding should be a bottom line for our further actions.

There is no space for illusionary compromises with russia as long as real people continue to die in the trenches. Therefore, we are grateful to our partners for their support rendered to Ukraine – military, economic and sanctions.

At the same time, new defence, diplomatic, economic and sanctions initiative will shorten the path to a sustainable and lasting peace based on 10 points of Ukraine’s Formula.

As President Zelenskyy stated at the meeting with the EU Foreign Ministers, I quote, “Our victory explicitly depends on our cooperation and solidarity – the more powerful and principled steps we take together, the sooner this war will end. End fairly.”

At the same time, this historical meeting in Kyiv, “for the first time in history, outside current EU borders, but within its future borders”, as Minister Kuleba praised it, has sent a powerful message about our unity in defending common values and about unwavering solidarity with Ukraine in the face of aggression.

Russia understands this. Moscow is afraid of this. And the kremlin will do its best to undermine our unity. 

Dear colleagues, 

On September 29-30, tens of thousands of victims of Babyn Yar were commemorated in Ukraine. Babyn Yar became a terrible symbol of the Holocaust, known throughout the world.

Honoring the memory of the victims of Babyn Yar, we call on the world to prevent the recurrence of such disasters.

As stated by President Zelenskyy on the anniversary of the Babyn Yar tragedy, I quote, it is very important to always remember history, not to forget. Because 'Never again!' is not empty words”. And it is especially important not to allow the aggressor to manipulate with history to justify and repeat crimes of the past.

I thank you, Mr. Chair.