Ukraine at UN SC: AFU will destroy airports, weapons, military of Russia until complete de-occupation

Serhii Dvornyk, counsellor to the Permanent Mission of Ukraine to the UN, said this at the UN Security Council meeting on Friday, an Ukrinform correspondent reported.

"It is absolutely unacceptable to hastily demand holding the Security Council meetings with the sole purpose of obstructing the measures planned and prepared by other Security Council members in advance," said Dvornyk, referring to the expected Arria-formula discussion of the conclusions of the UN Independent Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine on Friday.

Dvornyk pointed to "cognitive dissonance" in the statements by Russian representatives.

The Russian Federation "consistently justifies the invasion, referring to the right to self-defense and stating that "the decision [to start the so-called special military operation in Ukraine] was taken in accordance with Article 51 of the UN Charter" which provides for the right of states to self-defense.

However, two days ago, in the context of the war in Israel, Moscow referred to the decision of the UN International Court of Justice to prove that the right to self-defense cannot be applied in the case of an occupying power.

"And Russia is exactly such a state in relation to Ukraine," the diplomat emphasized.

At the same time, according to him, Russia is not complying with the order of the International Court of Justice of March 16, 2022 to stop military actions of the Russian Federation in Ukraine.

He called Moscow's behavior "show, manipulation, hypocrisy and cynicism." This is "a very pathetic show... trying to blame the victim of armed aggression for receiving means of protection, Russia has been receiving Iranian drones for more than a year and is now ready to kneel before the North Korean regime to beg for additional weapons and ammunition to continue the war of aggression against Ukraine," Dvornyk added.

Ukraine will continue to fight until every Ukrainian citizen and every piece of its sovereign land is freed and Russia is defeated in war, he stressed.

"We will destroy airports... as happened in occupied Berdiansk and Luhansk on October 17.

We will continue to eliminate Russian equipment and soldiers, whom the Moscow generals send as cannon fodder for suicide attacks on the Ukrainian city of Avdiivka," the diplomat emphasized.

He said that the only right decision for Russian soldiers in Ukraine would be either to surrender, "as many have already done," or to leave the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine "without any delay."

"And as long as they are in Ukraine, they will remain legitimate military targets," Dvornyk added.

The UN Security Council met twice on Friday: at Russia's request for another consideration of security assistance to Ukraine and to discuss in Arria format the conclusions of the independent UN Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine investigating Russian crimes in Ukraine.