Explaining complex things in simple words: Kharkiv residents murdering by Russia, self-defense right, pace diplomacy

The Center for Strategic Communication and Information Security pursues efforts to provide a brief explanation to foreign audiences on the current topics of particular interest as regards Ukraine.

KHARKIV RESIDENTS MURDERING BY RUSSIA

On May 25, Russia attacked the Epicenter shopping mall in Kharkiv with an aerial bomb. 16 people were killed and 43 were injured.

  • The attack on a civilian object during a large gathering of people was made deliberately, because Russia used a high-precision UMPB D-30 air bomb with GPS guidance for this purpose.
  • The moment of the crime was recorded by the Epicenter surveillance cameras. The servers that saved the videos of the deaths of people survived.
  • Ordinary Kharkiv residents who were shopping on Saturday and the shopping mall staff were killed. A 12-year-old girl and her mother are among the victims of the Russian terrorist attack.
  • The mutilated bodies of the victims were unrecognizable. Many residents of Kharkiv had to submit DNA samples to identify their dead relatives.
  • Before and after the attack on the Epicenter, Russia continued to shell Kharkiv with missiles and bombs. And Kremlin propaganda brazenly lies about ‘’hitting military facilities.’’
  • May 27 was declared a Day of Mourning in the city of Kharkiv. We will not forget or forgive Moscow for its crimes.

SELF-DEFENCE RIGHT

Discussions are ongoing among Ukraine's partners about the cancellation of the ban on Ukraine's use of Western weapons to attack military facilities on the territory of the Russian Federation.

  • The world expresses sympathy to Ukrainians and condemns Russian terror. However, only condemnation is not enough. Ukraine must be able to defend itself.
  • Russia is purposefully destroying Kharkiv and killing Kharkiv residents. The Kremlin takes advantage of Ukraine's commitment to its obligations to partners and continues to terrorize peaceful Ukrainian cities with impunity, vilely shelling them from its own territory.
  • Ukraine records every movement of Russian troops and knows all missile launch points and military aircraft deployment areas. Destroying the enemy's positions, driving the Russians to a distance that is unattainable for them to continue their missile terror of Ukraine, is not a question of our capabilities. Unfortunately, this is a question of the political will of our partners today.
  • Ukraine is grateful to the countries and political leaders who have revised or are calling for a revision of the position regarding the senseless ban on the use of Western weapons on enemy territory.
  • We expect that the appropriate political decisions of our key armed donors, such as the U.S. and Germany, will become not only a logical sequence on the way to peace, but also a practical manifestation of humanism.

PEACE DIPLOMACY

The Russian side signals its readiness for negotiations on the suspension of hostilities along the current line of combat.

  • The Kremlin's repeated remarks about ‘’readiness for negotiations’’ are an attempt to disrupt the Peace Summit, which will be held in Switzerland on June 15-16.
  • No Russian initiative is trustworthy. Moscow lied about peace while preparing a large-scale armed invasion in 2022. There is no sign of a change in Putin's intentions to continue the war.
  • The ‘’peaceful’’ rhetoric of the Kremlin sounds especially cynical against the background of the terrible war crimes that the Russian army continues to commit, in particular in Kharkiv.
  • Russia's negotiating conditions have not changed. This is absolutely unacceptable for Ukraine. Ukraine will not give Putin its territories and will not let the world's vigilance fall asleep in order to prepare a new wave of escalation.
  • Achieving peace requires a global effort. That is why Ukraine is convening a global Peace Summit.