The Security Council met today following an incident in the Russian-controlled city of Donetsk on 7 November, where shelling by Ukrainian forces reportedly killed six people and wounded another 11, with several delegates pointing out that the Russian Federation convened the meeting to divert attention from the continued and relentless suffering and damage wrought by their military aggression against Ukraine.
Over 20 months since the Russian Federation launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, in violation of the United Nations Charter, thousands of civilians have been killed or wounded, while millions have been displaced, Miroslav Jenča, Assistant Secretary-General for Europe, Central Asia and the Americas in the Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs and Peace Operations, told the 15-member body. Noting the massive impact of the aggression on essential services, he pointed out that 17.6 million people — nearly half the country’s population — now need humanitarian assistance.
As the war continues, he voiced concern over the near-daily attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure throughout Ukraine, citing Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) figures that 9,933 have been killed since February last year. Recalling the briefing to the Council of Under-Secretary-General DiCarlo on 9 October, following the missile attack that killed 59 people in Hroza, eastern Ukraine, he said attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure have continued, voicing concern over the targeting of energy infrastructure ahead of winter. Addressing the killing of six people following shelling in the Russian-controlled city of Donetsk, he condemned all attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure “no matter where they take place or who is responsible”.
In the ensuing debate, several delegates assailed the Russian Federation for calling the meeting, asserting that it was solely responsible for all the deaths resulting from its war of aggression against Ukraine. Some speakers voiced concern over Moscow’s unrelenting attacks on energy infrastructure, as winter approaches, while others emphasized the need for diplomacy and a peaceful settlement to bring the conflict to a swift end.
The Russian Federation’s representative said his delegation requested this emergency meeting due to the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ mass shelling of densely populated areas in Donetsk on 7 November, attacking civilian targets three times in a day. There were no military objects in the area where attacks took place yesterday, he said, holding up photos of the “scene of the crime in Donbas”, in which six people died.
“Since February 2022, on the territory of DPR [Donetsk People’s Republic] alone, artillery and rocket strikes by the Ukrainian Armed Forces have been carried out more than 25,000 times,” he said, adding that, since May 2014, Ukrainian authorities have continued their armed aggression against their own people, who did not accept the anti-constitutional Maidan coup in Kyiv and rose up to defend their rights. Every subsequent crime carried out by the Kyiv regime confirmed that Moscow was right to begin its special military operation, he added.
Countering that, the United States’ delegate said Moscow is desperate to point fingers at others to distract from its own egregious actions. The Russian Federation bears ultimate responsibility for the unfortunate and unnecessary loss of lives resulting from its war of choice in Ukraine, he said, noting his country’s support for necessary measures by Kyiv to defend itself in line with international law. Condemning the Russian Federation’s attacks on heat and light systems ahead of the coldest, darkest part of the year, he called on that country to heed the calls of more than 140 Member States and end its unconscionable war of aggression against Ukraine.
In a similar vein, the representative of the United Kingdom, pointing out that Moscow has, too often, attempted to distract this Council with spurious meetings aimed to deflect and distract from its own crimes, stressed: “Russia’s biggest lie of all, though, is that it conducted its full-scale invasion, annexation of Crimea and military invasion in the Donbas in 2014 for the benefit of the people there.” Citing UN investigations that have confirmed Russia is responsible for gross violations, which could amount to war crimes in Ukraine, he said, “Just today, it struck a Liberian-flagged civilian vessel entering the port of Odesa, killing its pilot.”
For his part, the representative of Ecuador said that his delegation would continue to deplore any loss of human life and attacks on civilian infrastructure from wherever it comes. Reiterating his country’s recognition of the right of peoples to legitimate defence in accordance with international law and the UN Charter, he called on the Russian Federation to stop once and for all its lengthy invasion of Ukraine, which continues to lead to destruction and loss of innocent life, including in the Ukrainian region of Donetsk. “We must move from the mindset of domination and force to the mindset of diplomacy and the peaceful settlement of disputes,” he added.
Rounding out the meeting was Ukraine’s delegate, who deplored “the unacceptable practice of the aggressor State, which is misusing its presence in the Council to escape responsibility for the war and blame the victim of aggression”. Noting that a military training facility was destroyed by a high-precision strike yesterday in the occupied Ukrainian city of Donetsk, he asserted that all Russian troops and sites of their deployment are legitimate military targets.
Moscow must stop violating the United Nations Charter and General Assembly resolutions adopted in response to the aggression, he said, stressing that until the withdrawal of Russian Federation troops, Ukraine will exercise its right to self-defence in line with Article 51 of the UN Charter. “And instead of floods of crocodile’s tears that Putin’s delegates have shed in this Chamber, their country may take a very simple step that will immediately stop the atrocities — to withdraw its troops from the territory of another sovereign country, to give up plans to invade this country and deprive it of its independence,” he stressed.
THREATS TO INTERNATIONAL PEACE AND SECURITY
Briefings
MIROSLAV JENČA, Assistant Secretary-General for Europe, Central Asia and Americas, Departments of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs and Peace Operations, said that, over 20 months since the Russian Federation launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, in violation of the United Nations Charter and international law, thousands of civilians have been killed or wounded, while millions have been displaced. The massive destruction caused by the war has impacted essential services, including access to education, health services, shelter, food and water, he said, adding that 17.6 million people — nearly half the population — are in need of humanitarian assistance. As the war continues, he voiced concern over the continued, near-daily attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure throughout Ukraine, citing Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) figures that 9,933 have been killed and 18,302 injured since February last year, adding that actual figures are likely considerably higher.
Recalling the briefing to the Council of Under-Secretary-General DiCarlo on 9 October, following the horrific missile attack that killed 59 people in Hroza in eastern Ukraine, he said that, tragically, such attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure have continued, with communities near the frontlines in Kharkiv, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk and Luhansk regions under constant shelling. He noted a pattern over the past few weeks of attacks on critical infrastructure, including energy infrastructure, across the country, which is concerning given the onset of winter. In a deadly wave of attacks on 18 October, 10 people were reportedly killed in strikes on the Dnipropetrovsk, Kherson, Mykolaiv and Zaporizhzhia regions of Ukraine. On 1 November, the country reportedly experienced the most extensive shelling of the year, with 118 settlements across 10 regions targeted within 24 hours, killing two people, one in Kharkiv and another in the Kherson region.
On 3 November, nine people were reportedly killed in a missile strike in the Ukrainian town of Chaplynka, currently under Russian control in the Kherson region of Ukraine, he went on. The same day, a massive Russian drone attack against critical civilian infrastructure reportedly injured civilians, including children, and damaged civilian buildings in several regions, including Lviv, Kharkiv, Kherson and Odesa. He also outlined attacks carried out on 5 November in Nikopol district, killing one person, as well as Russian drone and missile attacks on 6 November, which once again struck port and grain infrastructure in Odesa, reportedly causing widespread damage to the Odesa National Fine Arts Museum — one of city's oldest — on the day it turned 124-years-old. Such attacks have continued on both sides of the frontline, he said, pointing to the deaths of six people following shelling in the Russian-controlled city of Donetsk. He condemned all attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure, no matter where they take place or who is responsible.
As the war approaches its two-year mark, he voiced concern over the risk of further escalation and its impact on the people of Ukraine as well as regional and international security. Against this backdrop, he urged all Member States to uphold the United Nations Charter, prevent further escalation and spillover of this devastating war, and lay the foundations for sustainable peace, in line with the Charter, international law and relevant resolutions of the General Assembly.
VASSILY A. NEBENZIA (Russian Federation) said his delegation requested this emergency meeting because of the Kyiv’s latest violation of norms of international law — namely the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ mass shelling of densely populated areas in Donetsk on 7 November. The Kyiv regime three times in one day attacked civilian targets in the centre of the city. In addition to residential buildings, the strikes hit the building of the labour and social protection office and a local bus, he said, holding up photos of the “scene of the crime in Donbas from the people in Donbas”. The attacks were carried out in the middle of the working day — at 4:25 p.m and at 4:40 p.m — and then again at 6:27 p.m, he said, adding that six people died and 55 were wounded, including three children. Responsibility for those crimes will be borne by the senior political leadership of the Kyiv regime and those that carry out their criminal orders, and the Western countries who flood Ukraine with their weapons and agree on the target of those strikes, he stressed.
“Since February 2022, on the territory of DPR [Donetsk People’s Republic] alone, artillery and rocket strikes by the Ukrainian Armed Forces have been carried out more than 25,000 times,” he continued, detailing the death of civilians and the damage and destruction of civilian infrastructure. Terrorism against the people of Donbas began not in February 2022, he pointed out, noting that since May 2014, Ukrainian authorities have continued their armed aggression against their own people, who did not accept the anti-constitutional Maidan coup in Kyiv and rose up to defend their rights. Every subsequent crime carried out by the Kyiv regime confirmed that Moscow was right to begin its special military operation, he said. In the area where attacks took place yesterday, there were no military objects, he said. Addressing Council members, he stressed: “We trust that you will be bold enough and have enough principles to today call things by their name.”
MICHEL XAVIER BIANG (Gabon), recalling incessant calls for an end to the fighting in Ukraine and, above all, respect for international humanitarian law, said prospects for dialogue to bring the warring parties to the table are a distant possibility. “On the contrary, we are seeing the resupplying by the parties, each party perfecting their weapons and reinforcing their positions,” he said. “My country calls on the parties to assume their responsibilities by respecting the laws of war and abstaining from any action that would feed the conflict and harm international security,” he said, also calling on the parties to make use of United Nations Charter mechanisms to solve disputes. “This Council is the Security Council and not the war council,” he stressed, adding that the best way to avoid new deaths in Donetsk, Kherson and Mariupol is to stop the war.
YAMANAKA OSAMU (Japan) voiced concerned over continued aggression in East Ukraine by the Russian Federation. He reiterated that Donetsk is an integral part of Ukraine, a region under temporary occupation as a result of Moscow’s aggression, in violation of the sovereignty, political independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine. The Russian Federation’s targeting of civilian infrastructure across Ukraine, including housing complexes, hospitals, schools, energy facilities and other essential installations for life, jeopardizes the welfare and future of the Ukrainian people, he stressed. There must be no tolerance or impunity for war crimes and other atrocities, he affirmed, urging all parties to uphold international humanitarian principles. Any attack on civilians would not have happened if the Russian Federation had not launched its aggression against Ukraine. He again urged Moscow to stop its ongoing aggression and immediately, completely and unconditionally withdraw its troops and military equipment from the entire internationally recognized territory of Ukraine.
FELIX OSEI BOATENG (Ghana) said his country continues to urge for the cessation of military hostilities across Ukraine, together with the preservation of civilian lives and infrastructure. The humanitarian toll has been high, particularly for innocent children, he said, and States must make all required efforts to comprehensively resolve different facets of the conflict. Ghana reiterates its call on all warring parties to fully adhere to existing obligations under international humanitarian law, without exception. Further, it believes that every effort must be made through diplomacy and dialogue to achieve a comprehensive and lasting peace for Ukraine, based on the principles and purposes of the Charter of the United Nations and international law. Lastly, war has never been an instrument for advancing sustainable peace. Parties must address their concerns, not through the instrument of violence, but through the range of acceptable means to achieve a peaceful settlement.
ROBERT A. WOOD (United States), noting that the Russian Federation once again called today’s meeting before facts can be determined, said the country is desperate to point fingers at others to distract from its own egregious actions. Stressing that Moscow bears ultimate responsibility for the unfortunate and unnecessary loss of lives resulting from its war of choice in Ukraine, he noted his country’s support for necessary measures by Kyiv to defend itself in line with international law. Civilian deaths represent lost futures, he said, calling on the Russian Federation to heed the calls of more than 140 Member States, to withdraw its troops and end its unconscionable war of aggression against Ukraine. Condemning attacks on critical infrastructure, he pointed out that the Russian Federation is purposefully attacking heat and light systems ahead of the coldest, darkest part of the year, adding that the country is continuing its relentless attacks amid mounting evidence of heinous war crimes and crimes against humanity by its forces.
NATHALIE BROADHURST ESTIVAL (France) called on the Russian Federation to comply with its obligations to respect international humanitarian law and protect civilians in all circumstances. Noting the facts as reported by the self-proclaimed authorities of Donetsk in an illegally occupied area, she condemned the manipulation of events by the Russian Federation. That country is cynically aiming to exploit events for its benefit to deflect the attention of the Council and international community from its own responsibility for crimes it is committing daily. Since the invasion in February 2022, the Russian authorities have perpetrated multiple violations of international humanitarian law by deliberately targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure. She urged the Russian Federation to comply with international humanitarian law by granting access for humanitarian actors, the civilian population and UN in territories illegally occupied by it. A manipulation of facts will not change the reality of this conflict, she stressed, emphasizing that the Russian Federation alone can put an end to the war and the suffering resulting from it.
https://press.un.org/en/2023/sc15484.doc.htm
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