Ukraine at UN SC: Russia deports children to destroy Ukrainian nation
This is underscored in the statement of the Ukrainian delegation to the UN, read out by Serhii Dvornyk, Counsellor at the Permanent Mission of Ukraine to the UN, at the UN Security Council open debate on the Protection of civilians in armed conflicts on May 25.
“Abduction of at least 230 thousand Ukrainian children, among 1.4 million of Ukrainian citizens forcibly deported to Russia, is a crime aimed at destroying the Ukrainian nation by depriving it of young generations, which is a modern manifestation of colonialism,” Dvornyk stressed, an Ukrinform correspondent reported from New York.
As noted, dozens of thousands of civilians lost their lives and many more were wounded in Russian artillery and missile attacks on Ukrainian cities. Nearly 220,000 people lost their homes.
Millions of Ukrainian citizens were forced to flee occupied or war-affected areas. 8 million have become IDPs and 6.5 million left Ukraine as refugees.
“And we have no doubt that in Russian war strategies this refugee crisis was envisaged as one of the welcoming outcomes. As well as food crisis,” Dvornyk noted.
However, he said, Russia underestimated the readiness to help Ukrainians, the hospitality and commitment of the neighbours and other friends.
Russia attacks Ukrainian civilians deliberately as a part of its Nazi-style war strategy, the diplomat noted.
“Killings, torture and illegal detention, forcible deportation, deprivation of property rights, alarming human rights violations in the occupied territories, attacks against civilian infrastructure throughout Ukraine, expropriation of grain from local farmers – this is not a complete list of Russian crimes against civilians in Ukraine,” Dvornyk stressed.
On February 24, Russia launched a new phase of the eight-year war against Ukraine – a full-scale offensive. The enemy massively shells and bombs peaceful Ukrainian cities, towns, and villages. The Armed Forces, the Territorial Defense Forces, and the entire Ukrainian people effectively resist the Russian troops and inflict heavy losses on them.
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