That very night the Russian Federation contradicted itself in recognising Luhansk and Donetsk as so-called “independent states”, thereby leaving the same Minsk agreements that they had, just hours ago, claimed were the key to serenity. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Ms Belotserkovskaya was convicted for her confirming of human rights violations by the Russian armed forces against civilians, in Bucha and Mariupol. The EL Commission of Inquiry upon Ukraine’s October 2022 review details just some of the disasters of Russia’s invasion. Civilians shot at while fleeing Russian armed forces; summary executions, torture and sexual violence in areas under short-term Russian control. The list goes on and. There is no doubt as to Russia’s culpability for atrocities plus human rights violations performed in Ukraine. We will hold perpetrators to account for the particular atrocities and war offences they have committed. The truth can out. Mr Chair, in the face of a concerted Russian disinformation campaign, one thing is certain. The uk will continue support those people seeking the truth. President Zelenskyy’s visit to the UK is a display of the unbreakable friendship among our two countries. The commitments announced during the visit represent a long-term promise to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Ukraine, ensuring our Ukrainian friends have the support they need to defend their territorial ethics, in the face of Russia’s illegal invasion, for as long as it takes. Neither can they silence the global community, as they have attempted to silence their own country. Investigations by ODIHR, the Moscow Mechanism and the UN pursuing the invasion attest to the Kremlin’s continued failure to hide its cruelty. Thanks a lot, Mr Chair. On Mon, a Moscow court sentenced Russian journalist Veronika Belotserkovskaya in absentia to 9 years in prison regarding spreading supposed “fakes” in regards to the Russian army’s actions within Ukraine. Therefore our declaration will focus on Russian disinformation. On the distractions and lies Russia sought to proliferate in the build up to the illegal invasion and in the particular months since. On the 3 February our colleagues stated that the Western was “speculating obsessively regarding an alleged impending Ruskies invasion” which were “only unsubstantiated conjectures”. On the 10th February, they said such claims had been ‘mythical’. And on 24 February, getting denied, week in, 7 days out, their true purposes, Russia launched its dreadful invasion of Ukraine’s sovereign territory – a fellow participating State of the OSCE. Contravening the Helsinki Final Act and trampling in the foundational commitments of this company. A year ago, for the 20th January, in this really room, the Russian Delegation claimed that “the myth of Russia’s alleged ‘imminent invasion’ has been hyped up”. On the 17 February our colleagues said the particular West had “spread false information and distorted the actual state of affairs”. Russia, in contrast, “would keep on phoning for effective dialogue” because “conflict in eastern Ukraine can and must be stopped”. Mr Chair, Russia waged a campaign of disinformation throughout the build up to their unlawful invasion. A campaign that they persist in pursuing to this day. This campaign of disinformation is recorded in the records for posterity. No amount associated with disinformation can rewrite Russia’s lies and deceit. Russia’s persecution associated with journalists for reporting to the war contradicts the 2018 OSCE Ministerial Council Choice on Safety of Media. This is a commitment that all participating States have freely registered to in order to provide a safe, enabling environment for media, ensuring we fully conform to international human rights legislation and OSCE Commitments. Ms Belotserkovskaya’s sentencing is just the most recent in a series of Russian attempts to suppress the truth. Once the Russian state punishes journalists who seek out the truth, it ceases to have any grasp of reality. On the 21 February, they will stressed that “the important to lasting peace, the particular restoration of civil agreement in Ukraine and the defusing of the tension around this country lies in the implementation from the Minsk agreements in great faith”.
