June 14, 2024
The representative of Ukraine stated that “Russia continues to kill Ukrainians”. Just two days ago, nine civilians were killed in the city of Kryvyi Rih, Dnipropetrovsk region, after a Russian Iskander-M ballistic missile hit a multi-story residential building. This attack also wounded 29 people, including five children.
Earlier that day, Moscow attempted to kill residents of Kyiv by targeting the Ukrainian capital with six missiles, both cruise and ballistic, and 24 Shahed drones. While the Ukrainian Air Defence Forces intercepted all drones and five missiles, one missile hit a civilian infrastructure facility. Last night, another barrage of 14 missiles and 17 drones was launched on Ukrainian cities.
He also stressed that more than 900 soldiers of the Azov Brigade are held in Russian Federation prisons. As reported by the OHCHR, some of them were beaten to death and others given long-term or life sentences simply for being members of the Azov Brigade, he said, urging Moscow to stop its torture, grant unimpeded access to them by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and include them in prisoner exchanges.
“While spreading the nonsense that the possession of arms by the defending party makes peace elusive, Russia itself continues to receive weapons from rogue States like Iran and North Korea,” he further underscored.
Pyongyang has already reportedly sent to that country 10,000 shipping containers that could hold nearly 5 million artillery shells.
Moreover, Moscow resorts to press-ganging foreign nationals into its occupation forces in Ukraine by threatening those already in the country. Its authorities have also been threatening not to extend visas of African students and workers unless they agree to join the military. Foreigners with work visas are detained and forced to choose between deportation or army enlistment. Moscow is also luring foreign nationals with promises of lucrative work: among the most recent cases is the escape of 22 Sri Lankans who managed to desert from the Russian Federation’s army and return home — one of them told reporters that he had received a job offer to be a driver in the country. “Upon arrival, however, he was handed an assault rifle and sent to the frontline,” he added.
Spotlighting the inaugural Summit on Peace in Ukraine, which will start in Switzerland tomorrow, he said that “the powerful voice of the nations united around the principles of the UN Charter at the Summit will be decisive for a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine.” This voice is critical to make Moscow accept these principles, abandon ultimatums and move to good-faith negotiations to end the war rather than continue “a propaganda campaign amplified by horrific daily missile strikes on Ukraine”, he stressed.