An emotional Sergiy Kyslytsya, Ukraine’s Representative to the UN, drew comparisons between the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the Second World War, stating that a large global power had launched a full-scale attack on a much smaller and less militarily capable neighbor. He asked, “Does this remind you of something?” to the audience in an attempt to make parallels to World War II.
“We have been prompted to call for an emergency special session as the level of the threat to the global security has been equated to that of the Second World War or even higher following Putin’s order to put an alert [on] Russian nuclear forces. What a madness!” he exclaimed. “If he wants to kill himself, he doesn’t need to use nuclear arsenal. He has to do what they say, what the guy in Berlin did in a bunker in May 1945,” referring to Adolf Hitler’s apparent suicide to escape capture.
He also read aloud a series of text messages between a Russian soldier in Ukraine and his mother before he was killed. In the text message, the Russian mother asks the soldier if he was really in a training exercise and why the soldier hasn’t responded in a long time. The Russian soldier then admits that he was no longer in Crimea, that he was in Ukraine, and engaged in a war. The Russian soldier claims that he was “afraid” and that they were bombing Ukrainian cities, admitting that they were targeting civilians and lied to by Russia.
“If Ukraine does not survive, international peace will not survive,” he said, warning that the legitimacy of the United Nations was at stake and called on his fellow representatives to support him in his call to have Russian forces immediately withdrawn from Ukrainian soil, and reverse the decision of Russia regarding the status of the Donetsk and Luhansk so-called People’s Republics. “Have no illusions. If Ukraine does not survive, we cannot be surprised if democracy fails next.”
In response, Russian UN Representative Vasily Nebenzya accused Ukraine of being the root cause of the problem and the invasion during the UN General Assembly emergency session. He claimed that Donetsk and Luhansk were provoked and requested Moscow’s assistance. He accused Ukraine of being neo-Nazis and that there was a need to de-Nazify Ukraine. “The Russian Federation did not begin these hostilities that were unleashed by Ukraine against its own residents,” he reiterated.
“Occupation of Ukraine is not part of this plan. The goal of this special operation is to protect the people who for eight years suffered with torment and genocide by the Kyiv regime, and there is a need to demilitarize and denazify Ukraine. We further will strive to hold accountable those who carried out countless brutal crimes against the residents, including residents of the Russian Federation,” the Russian diplomat explained.
Syrian Representative Bassam Sabbagh backed Russia, stating that the West was committing a “politics of hypocrisy” as other conflicts in the past years were not met with equal attention as much as Ukraine has. They further added that Ukraine’s so-called anti-Russian campaign compromises Russia’s security.
On the other hand, Chinese Ambassador Zhang Jun is again taking a neutral stance on the issue, having a dispute with Taiwan. He called for the international recognition of all borders and to respect all countries’ sovereignty.
“The Cold War mentality based on bloc confrontation should be abandoned. Nothing can be gained from stirring up a new Cold War, but everyone will stand to lose,” Zhang stated.
According to United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Chief Filippo Grandi, 520,000 refugees from Ukraine have gone to neighboring countries in search of refuge from the attacks. He estimated that 4 million refugees were to come in the following weeks if the invasion would not end.
12 Russian Diplomats Expelled
Meanwhile, the United States had expelled and removed 12 Russian diplomats to the United Nations for allegedly engaging in espionage that was harming US national security. “The United States has informed the Russian Permanent Mission to the United Nations that we are beginning the process of expelling 12 intelligence operatives from the Russian Mission who have abused their privileges of residency in the United States by engaging in espionage activities that are adverse to our national security,” said US Spokeswoman for the US Mission to the United Nations Olivia Dalton in a statement.
Nebenzya reacted to the news stating that it was a “hostile” act of aggression from the United States and a ‘gross disrespect to the host country agreement.’ White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki commented on his statements saying, “I think the hostile act is committing espionage activities on our own soil.”
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