Explaining complex things in simple words: Air terror, nuclear threats from Minsk, international condemnaion of aggressor

AIR TERROR

On June 29-30, Russian missiles and bombs again terrorized peaceful Ukrainians. In particular, three children and four adults died in Vilniansk, Zaporizhzhia region. Another air bomb caused destruction and casualties in the centre of Kharkiv.

• Russia is fighting against the civilian population of Ukraine. This is the tactic of a terrorist who chooses a weak victim and counts on a political effect.
• The aggressor continues to commit crimes, relying on impunity. And as long as the murderers are beyond the reach of justice, only the Defence Forces of Ukraine can punish them.
• We are grateful to our partners for strengthening our air defence, but Patriot cannot be used against KABs. Only the destruction of Russian planes will help.
• Dozens of enemy planes shelling Ukraine are in the open air at airfields less than 200 km from the Ukrainian border. Lifting the ATACMS application restriction will help to destroy them.
• Destroying Russian planes at air bases is a legitimate act of self-defence, as well as a warning to war criminals. There is no rational argument against using long-range missiles against them.

NUCLEAR THREATS OF OFFICIAL MINSK

The Lukashenko regime officials accuse Ukraine of concentrating troops on the border with Belarus and threaten to use nuclear weapons in the event of a threat to their independence.

• Belarusian officials belatedly mentioned the “threats of independence”. This should have been thought about before they handed over their country to Putin's regime.
• Ukraine did not plan aggression against Belarus and did not create threats to its independence. On the contrary, the true independence of Belarus is in the strategic interest of Ukraine.
• Belarus should determine whether it is still a nuclear-free state and continues to fulfil its obligations under the Non-Proliferation Treaty and the Budapest Memorandum.
• Participation in Putin's “nuclear games” may cost the people of Belarus dearly because the Kremlin does not care about its own people and, even more so, will not care about the security and prospects of Belarusians.
• Ukrainian Defence Forces are ready to repel provocations on the Belarusian border, as well as on the border with the Russian Federation. 

INTERNATIONAL CONDEMNATION OF THE AGGRESSOR STATE

On June 29, the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly adopted a resolution for the 10th anniversary of Russian aggression against Ukraine. The day before, on June 26, the PACE adopted a similar resolution “Combating the Erasure of Cultural Identity During War and Peace”.

• The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly and the Council of Europe resolutions are important documents that represent the position of the European political community and influence the adoption of practical decisions by governments and international organizations.
• The documents, adopted by the Parliamentary Assembly, recognize the genocidal nature of Russian aggression and the actions of the Russian Federation to destroy Ukrainian cultural heritage and identity.
• The document states the policy of Russification and erasure of the cultural identity of the indigenous peoples of the Russian Federation, and also defines the decolonization of the Russian Federation as a necessary prerequisite for establishing lasting peace.
• The 2024 presidential elections in Russia are recognized as falsified and undermine the legitimacy of the entire electoral system of the Russian Federation.
• The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly resolution calls for the de-occupation of the Ukrainian TOT, the implementation of the Ukrainian peace formula, the creation of a Special Tribunal to hold the Russian Federation accountable for war crimes committed in Ukraine, as well as the acceleration of the use of frozen Russian assets for the benefit of Ukraine.

Center for Strategic Communication and Information Security