British diplomat in OSCE reminds Russians of responsibility for lies

Ian Stubbs, Senior Military Advisor at the UK Delegation to the OSCE, stated this at a meeting of the Forum for Security Cooperation in Vienna, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

“We repeatedly warned Russia, in this and other fora, that any Russian military incursion into Ukraine would be a massive strategic mistake. Russia ignored those warnings at terrible cost to Ukraine and its own people. Over 15 months into its illegal invasion, the list of Russia’s accomplishments read like a depraved horror story,” he said.

Against this background, the British diplomat condemned the lies spread by Russian diplomats in the OSCE aimed at justifying the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

“Thousands of Ukrainian civilians killed; cities and towns laid to waste; evidence of unimaginable atrocities against men, women and children committed. I ask our Russian colleagues, are these the goals of the so-called ‘Special Military Operation’ that they endorse in this room every week? By justifying these actions and supporting them by spreading disinformation and hate-filled vitriol, our Russian colleagues, as professional diplomats, must know they bear responsibility for the lies they peddle to this forum and their own population. Lies cannot live forever,” Stubbs said.

The UK senior military advisor condemned Russian’s missile attack on Kryvyi Rih, which claimed numerous lives and which "are inexcusable and demonstrate Russia’s blatant disregard for the lives of civilians.”

Stubbs also expressed deepest concern regarding the potential impact of the Kakhovka dam destruction, first of all, on communities living in the downstream area. He called for "immediate access for neutral and impartial humanitarian organisations to help those in need wherever they are.”

“Multiple reports indicate that Russian shelling has caused death and injuries to civilians during evacuation efforts – this is despicable. We are clear; the destruction of the Kakhovka dam is yet another devastating example of the terrible consequences of Russia’s unprovoked, illegal and full-scale invasion of Ukraine. It is a disaster zone in the middle of a war zone,” he said.

As reported by Ukrinform, earlier the Russian forces fired six missiles at Kryvyi Rih, five of which hit peaceful objects that have nothing to do with the military. In total, 12 civilians were killed and 38 more were injured in the attack.