Humanitarian catastrophe in Ukraine is an element of Russian military strategy – Kyslytsya
The relevant statement was made by Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the UN Sergiy Kyslytsya at a meeting of the UN Security Council, which was dedicated to the humanitarian situation in Ukraine, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.
According to Kyslytsya, Ukraine demands that Russia immediately and unconditionally implement all the provisions of the General Assembly resolution, Humanitarian Consequences of the Aggression against Ukraine, which has been adopted recently. This resolution provides for the ceasefire agreement, the withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine.
“With regret, I have to admit that Russia is not showing readiness to abandon its strategy for deliberately deteriorating the humanitarian situation at the local level. After the initial blitzkrieg plan failed, Russian troops switched to Plan B,” Kyslytsya told.
In his words, Russia’s Plan B provides for causing the humanitarian catastrophe all over Ukraine and destroying the country’s agricultural potential to frighten the Ukrainian political leadership and people and make them surrender.
According to Kyslytsya, Russia is using a wide and extremely brutal set of tools. They include the deliberate destruction of residential areas and critical infrastructure facilities, missile strikes all over the country, the blockade of cities, the violation of humanitarian corridor agreements, terror against civilians within the occupied areas, including kidnapping and murders. Kyslytsya stressed that Russian invaders had already abducted about 30 local leaders, activists and journalists.
Russian troops launched 467 ballistic, cruise and hypersonic missiles on residential areas. According to Kyslytsya, it is the most intense missile striking over such a short period in the entire history.
Kyslytsya noted that Mariupol is remaining a bloody wound in the heart of Europe. According to the local authorities, at least 5,000 people died there. About 150,000 local residents are remaining trapped in the besieged city.
Kyslytsya stressed that Moscow is attempting to take some civilians to Russia, which is not only cynical hypocrisy but also a gross violation of the laws and customs of war and the international humanitarian law. At the moment, about 40,000 Ukrainians were forcibly deported to Russia and Belarus.
In addition, Russian troops are shelling on evacuation columns, which are trying to drive from Mariupol towards the Ukrainian-controlled territory.
Currently, a total of 1.8 million children have fled abroad. Russian invaders killed at least 143 children and wounded 216 children.
Kyslytsya repeatedly called on countries to join the Group of Friends of Accountability following the Russian aggression against Ukraine. This group was established last Friday and includes 50 member countries at the moment.
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