Mr. President, distinguished members of the Security Council,

I would have recognised here the envoy of dictator putin if he had not cowardly extracted himself from the soviet permanent seat leaving behind the residual junior team. He has certainly failed to hypnotise not only the European members of the council but also its African, Asian and Latin American responsible members. My sympathy, however, goes to the UN interpreters.

I thank Ms Lisa Doughten from OCHA and Ms Caitlin Howarth from the Yale Humanitarian Lab for their briefings.

On May 10th, the Russian army launched a new offensive, targeting the northern Kharkiv region from Russian territory. The immediate aim is Vovchansk, which, along with nearby settlements, faces relentless artillery shelling, airstrikes, and the use of guided aerial bombs.

The Ukrainian forces so far hold the line to prevent Russian troops from advancing to Kharkiv, the second-largest Ukrainian city and one of the main targets of fierce Russian missile attacks and airstrikes over the past months. Heavy defensive battles are underway in the border area in the north of Kharkiv region.

The situation remains extremely dangerous for the local civilians. As reported by OCHA Ukraine, Russian attacks in Kharkiv region over the past few days have led to civilian deaths and injuries, including among children. These casualties contribute to the overall number of 1993 children killed or injured since Russia started its invasion. This number, as UNICEF stated yesterday, the UN has been able to confirm, but the actual number is yet to be verified.

The Ukrainian authorities swiftly initiated evacuations of civilians from the areas targeted by Russian attacks to safer locations. Nearly six thousand residents have been evacuated since the assaults began, with the operation ongoing.

Russian forces persist in razing Ukrainian towns to the ground without regard for the local population's suffering, with Vovchansk becoming the latest victim akin to Bakhmut or Maryinka. 

And the above is carried out by the country that installed itself in the Soviet seat as a permanent member of the Security Council. A seat that carries special responsibility for maintaining international peace and security.

In fact, the Kremlin does not even care about the safety of their own population. The destruction of a multi-story residential building in Belgorod on Sunday is another example of putin’s disregard towards Russia’s own citizens. 

It goes without saying that Russia will not allow independent international expertise on the site. Instead, we have heard immediate propaganda allegations against Ukraine. It speaks volumes that the local authorities and the Russian Ministry of Defense have issued different versions. 

As putin’s envoy decided to stick to the version of the Russian Ministry of Defence, I would like to remind him of his own cynical statement, [I quote] “… while Ukrainian anti-air missiles, misfiring or straying off course, hit residential buildings and civilian objects. Harm is also being caused by debris falling in residential areas solely because Ukrainian air-defence systems are located there.” He can quote this statement to his new Minister of Defence now.

However, what experts draw attention to is the similarity of the destruction to the consequences of a guided aerial bomb explosion. Recently, reports of "unauthorized drops" of such aerial bombs from Russian aircraft over the territory of the Belgorod region have become routine. Several incidents have already occurred in May. For example, on May 4th, a Russian aircraft dropped a 500kg bomb on Belgorod, damaging 30 private houses. On May 12th, a similar bomb fell on the territory of Razumnoye-54 village in the Belgorod region.

According to reports by Russian online sources, there have been 33 such incidents with “unauthorized drops” in Russian border areas and occupied Ukrainian areas since March this year. Given these numbers it was just a matter of time before such destruction happened.

Mr. President,

Further, deliberate aggravation by Russia serves as further proof of how far we remain from our goal of “Never Again”  – the main motto of the anniversary of the victory over Nazism that the world marked last week. Atrocities of war are again the reality for Ukrainians. And on 8th May they woke up to air sirens and explosions. That day 55 missiles and 21 drones attacked energy and other critical infrastructure in seven Ukrainian regions - from west to east. The next day Ukraine again sustained new Russian attacks against its energy generation facilities.

Since the end of February, Russia has carried out 388 strikes on 131 energy infrastructure facilities – hydro- and thermal power plants, dams and transmission systems. These strikes destroyed almost all of Ukraine's thermal power generation. On 27th April alone, 4 thermal power plants were damaged. On 8th May two more hydroelectric power plants were attacked by Russia and are no longer in operation. 

And all this is done by a country that called itself a friend of the UN Charter. 

Mr. President, 

The world defeated Nazis 79 years ago, but their modern reincarnation continues to kill, to destroy and to threaten. Like Hitler, Putin used to salami slice neighboring countries. Having tested the world’s reaction, he came to a similar conclusion to the one Hitler arrived at prior to September 1939, and he moved ahead full scale in February 2022.

It speaks volumes that the so-called “List of Unfriendly States”, elaborated by Moscow, coincides to a great extent with the list of the Anti-Hitler Coalition. Those who defeated Nazism are enemies for modern Russia. And now Moscow threatens these states with nuclear saber rattling and makes them subjects for obnoxious verbal attacks. 

In contrast to 1939, Europe today is acutely cognizant of the threat posed by Russia.

Now Ukraine is the only country in the world being attacked by ballistic and cruise missiles almost daily. In April alone, Russian forces launched over 300 missiles, almost 300 “Shaheds,” and more than 3,200 guided aerial bombs. Major cities like Dnipro, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Chernihiv, Sumy and Odesa have borne the brunt of these assaults, with devastating consequences. 

On May 1st, missile strikes hit Odesa and Zolochiv, Kharkiv region, claiming two lives and injuring 19, while causing damage to civilian infrastructure.

Further attacks on May 3rd and Orthodox Easter, May 5th, in Kharkiv left more casualties, with a total of 380 shelling incidents recorded in the first week of May alone. Today, the Russian forces targeted a multi-story residential building in the heart of Kharkiv, resulting in injuries to at least 16 individuals, including three children.

And don’t forget that all this is being done by a country that declared itself the main fighter against Nazism at the UN. 

Mr. President,    

The situation in the temporarily occupied Ukrainian territories for the local population remains alarming. The Russian occupation army is full of convicted murderers as the practice of recruitment in Russian prisons in exchange for pardon persists. 

Some cases are shocking even for Russians loyal to putin’s regime. For instance, recently the Russian media found in the Russian army two infamous murderers - cannibal Dmitry Malyshev, who murdered several people and ate the heart of one of them, and maniac Alexander Maslennikov, who killed and dismembered two women. It seems that these particular skills are currently in high demand in the Russian army. Therefore, instead of serving long prison sentences, both were recruited from their prison cells to the Russian army and sent to Ukraine to kill Ukrainians. 

As follows from Putin’s speech on 9th May, such people are “real heroes” of Russia. Upon returning to Russia, these “heroes” resume their previous activities of violence. According to the Russian media, at least 24 convicted murderers, who were pardoned and returned to Russia after participating in the war, committed murders again. The actual number of crimes committed by these ex-convicts is likely much higher.

It is hard even to imagine how residents in the occupied areas of Ukraine suffer as rapists and murderers serving in the Russian army enjoy full impunity for crimes against them. Reports from the Independent Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights starkly outline the extensive and systematic use of torture by Russian aggressors. This includes the use of sexual violence as a weapon against Ukrainian civilians and prisoners of war, reaching a level of brutality and impunity that even shocks seasoned experts. As highlighted in the COI report "recently analyzed information suggests a hierarchical structure within the services involved in torture, with superiors having knowledge and a prevailing sense of impunity."

And all the above is carried out by a country whose Orthodox church leader openly advocates for war and even blesses weapons to kill Ukrainians. 

Mr. President,

All the above crimes cannot be committed perpetually. It must be stopped. When faced with such a widespread and severe war of aggression, a global effort is necessary.

Therefore, on 15-16 June the first Summit on Peace in Ukraine will take place in Switzerland. We have invited all peace-loving nations, and each nation can really bring peace closer.

The Summit will build on the discussion on Ukraine’s Peace Formula and other various visions of the peace process. The Summit will be a first step of a high-level political start towards a comprehensive, just, and lasting peace in Ukraine based on the UN Charter and key principles of international law. 

As we are approaching the Summit, Russia intensifies its spreading of lies about a so-called peace deal, that Ukraine and Russia were allegedly close to in spring 2022. Indeed, the delegations met, but the positions were so far away, and Russia’s demands were so bizarre that the prospect of a real solution was not even remotely in sight. 

It is clear why Russia focuses the public on the Istanbul talks in March 2022. It tries to shift the focus from what happened in February 2022. It is clear why Russia blames the Ukrainian President for undermining a deal that was never   going to be reached in reality. It tries to make the way to real peace impossible.

The name of the person who actually ruined the prospect of peace is putin. He has been ruining peace in Ukraine for more than a decade. First, by occupying Crimea and parts of the Donbas in 2014. Then, by obstructing the Minsk and Normandy peace processes. Then, by launching full-scale war of aggression. And then, by refusing to end it. This is why the war drags on.

Only together can we stop Russia and put an end to its aggressive plans for the rest of Europe. For this to happen, keep supporting Ukraine and don’t buy Russian lies. Therefore, it is really important – and not only for Ukraine – that the majority of nations attend the Summit. The more active the world is now in restoring a comprehensive, just, and lasting peace for Ukraine, the more likely it is that others in the world will not become the victims of similar aggression.

It is not brute force that should determine the world order, but the UN Charter, and in unity we can force Russia to comply with it. The Summit will particularly focus on energy and nuclear security; safety navigation and humanitarian issues, notably exchange all for all and return of children who were forcibly deported to Russia.  

A stable, predictable, peaceful world is a world in which no one can spread violence and chaos, destabilization and pain as Russia does now. There are no state borders or natural barriers that can stop the spread of radiation. There is no nation that would simply put up with the captivity or deportation of people by a hostile state. There is no nation that would accept that someone turn its cities into ruins. The Peace Formula must work for everyone, and it is a common interest of a strategic nature for us all to show unity of purpose at the Summit. 

Thank you.