Mr. Chairperson,   

The facts which we hear from children themselves who managed to be back from the russian captivity are appalling and fully unacceptable.

I will quote a boy who returned to Ukraine a week ago together with other 16 children.

Please listen to his testimonies.

“They beat us with metal sticks, they said that nobody needs us in Ukraine. They said that they would take us to a boarding school; that we would be adopted. They said the liberation of Kherson was fake and that we would be the children of russia”.

Let me repeat the last part – “would be the children of russia”.  

So, since the kremlin’s envoys – for no good reason – still enjoy their seat at this table, I want to remind them that children are not property.

But those who treat them like property will inevitably face arrest warrants, like vladimir putin and Maria Lvova-Belova.   

And this is what we are fighting for.

To ensure that children enjoy their childhood, that they have their rights and the future.

That the terrorist regime does not treat them so inhumanly.

However, the scale of the crime clearly indicates that it is a planned and well-organized state policy executed by the russian regime in the context of the genocidal intentions against the Ukrainian people. 

And the forcible deportation of Ukrainian children is the most heinous manifestation of this criminal policy.

I believe that the OSCE and executive structures will redouble its attention to this crime.

We also expect the OSCE and Institutions to pay special attention to another vulnerable group – political prisoners and civilian hostages taken by russia.

In this regard, we are especially concerned about the failure to provide proper medical care to citizen journalist Iryna Danylovych, whose life is in danger now.

On March 22, Iryna, who was illegally sentenced to seven years in prison by the occupiers on trumped-up charges, announced a dry hunger strike “until her diagnostics is organized and treatment begins, or until her biological death”.

Let me stress that this “failure to provide proper medical care” is not an isolated case.

It seems to be a new deadly torture applied by the russian regime to Ukrainian citizens.

Previously, this had already led to the death of political prisoners Kostyantyn Shyring and Dzhemil Hafarov.

These two cases are a grim reminder that we cannot remain silent about the fate of Iryna Danylovych as well as of other hostages kept by russia in the occupied Crimea or anywhere else.

It is time to act, with public calls, new sanctions and diplomatic pressure.

Meanwhile, russia continues its destruction campaign in Ukraine according to the kremlin’s genocidal design.

Indiscriminate shellings of peaceful Ukrainian cities and villages are conducted by russia on daily basis.

Last Friday, Kostiantynivka in the Donetsk region was hit with S-300.

As a result, a point of Invincibility that was used to provide humanitarian support and shelter was targeted.

At least, this attack claimed five lives.

On Monday, the city of Sloviansk was shelled. Two persons were killed and 29 injured.

Despite the fact that about 50 villages were almost completely destroyed by the invaders in the liberated part of the Kherson region, russia continues to terrorize people there.

Over the last week, the city of Beryslav was shelled again. Two days ago, a hospital was hit in Kherson.

Nikopol district of the Dnipropetrovsk region, which is located exactly on the opposite side of the occupied ZNPP, remains under constant fire.

About 5000 buildings were destroyed or damaged, including educational and medical facilities.

For russia everything in Ukraine is just a target, including sacred places.

For instance, during this war in Ukraine, the russians destroyed about 500 of churches and religious objects.

Let’s remember this number when we hear again the cynical statements of the russian delegation about how Ukraine should protect religious places.

In recent months, cities such as Mariinka, Bakhmut and Avdiivka have already become known as new places russia is trying to reduce to rubble.

Despite ruthless attacks, they stay strong and remain under the Ukrainian flag.

However, these days we recollect the city of Bucha as a grim symbol of horrific russian atrocities.

Exactly one year ago, this liberated city exposed an ugly nature of russia’s intentions.

It showed us with what brutality and hatred ordinary russian soldiers were executing putin’s policy of denying Ukraine’s right to exist. 

It also stands as a vivid reminder of why the perpetrators of the crime of aggression against Ukraine should not go unpunished.

In this regard we are grateful to those participating States who will join the Bucha Summit on russia’s accountability to take place tomorrow and look forward to the participation of OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Minister Osmani.

This is what the OSCE should stand for.

Defend human rights and freedoms. And to stand for accountability when mass atrocities become a part of military aggression.

On its part, Ukraine is doing everything to make Russian war criminals answer for literally every attack on Ukraine, on our people.

Ukraine gave an agreement to open the ICC country office.

And there is no alternative to establishing a Special tribunal for the crime of aggression against Ukraine.

The root cause of all other crimes must be duly addressed.

And we will not stop until everyone responsible for crimes is brought to justice.

Dear colleagues, 

Speaking about russia’s genocidal intentions, neither should we forget about enormous and unprecedented risks of the nuclear disaster created by russia after the occupation of the ZNPP.

For the first time in history, a nuclear power plant was turned into a military base.

It is clear, as President Zelenskyy stressed, the longer Russia occupies the ZNPP, the greater will be the threat to the security of Ukraine, Europe and the world.    

In order to discuss further steps to ensure the security of Ukraine’s energy industry, this week President Zelenskyy met with IAEA Director General Grossi.  

Furthermore, they visited the Dnieper hydroelectric station which is an essential part of the system that sustains the nuclear safety of the ZNPP.

It was an occasion for Director Grossi to inspect the recent damage suffered by the dam due to russia’s attacks.

This is yet another threat of a man-made disaster.

Nevertheless, russia decided to go further with nuclear blackmailing.

In this regard, Ukraine strongly condemns russia’s intentions to deploy tactical nuclear weapons on the territory of Belarus.

Moscow naively believes that nuclear saber-rattling could provide it with an indulgence for horrific crimes against humanity and war crimes in Ukraine and for its failures on the battlefield.

But the most severe consequences this decision will have for Belarus itself.

Not to mention a devastating blow to the image of Belarus as a non-nuclear state, russia will strengthen its occupation control of the country.

In view of this, Ukraine has requested an emergency UN Security Council meeting.

It was done in line with President Zelenskyy's Peace Formula, where the nuclear safety is a fundamental and immutable condition for lasting peace.

And since russia continues to undermine basic principles of the non-proliferation regime, the architecture of nuclear disarmament and the international security system as a whole, this must not go unpunished. Evil must be stopped.  

New sanctions, including against the “Rosatom” is already a long-overdue necessity.  

Depriving russia of a possibility to abuse its presence in the international organizations, including presiding over UN Security Council and its participation in the OSCE, is not a wishful thinking but must be a proper response to russia’s irresponsible behavior.

Because how can be russia a responsible partner for the OSCE and other international actors after it continues for decades to occupy a part of the sovereign territory of Moldova, after it invaded Georgia, wages the aggressive war against Ukraine and genocide against its people, conducts massive disinformation campaigns and political interferes aimed to undermine our societies?

How can be russia treated as a reliable partner after all it has done to undermine our common security?

Appeasement and diplomatic calls are not enough anymore.

Old approaches do not work.

As Minister Kuleba said earlier this week being invited as a special guest to the Adriatic Charter informal ministerial meeting, “the future of Euro-Atlantic security will be determined on the battlefield in Ukraine, and our country's accession to the EU and NATO will complete the reshaping of the world’s security architecture and will guarantee the security of the European continent for decades”.

I thank you, Mr Chairperson.