The confrontation between Russia and Ukraine, also transferred to the United Nations Organization (UN), reached the minutes of silence this Friday, with Moscow protesting the terms of the gesture requested by Ukrainian diplomacy.
At today’s session of the UN Security Council to commemorate one year of Russia’s war in Ukraine, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, who was invited to the meeting, asked all present to put on stand and observe a minute of silence “in memory of the victims of this aggression”.
The diplomatic corps present in the room – including many foreign ministers from various countries – stood up almost immediately, but the Russian ambassador, Vasily Nebenzya, who did not rise, began to bang on the table in an attempt to get the attention of the presidency. the Council – belonging to Malta – to also demand the right to speak.
“I ask for a minute of silence, but for all the victims and all the lives, for the fallen since 2014 [quando a Rússia lançou uma intervenção nas províncias orientais da Ucrânia]Nebenzya said.
Awkward moment at the UN Security Council right now. Ukraine FM asked members to observe a moment of silence in memory of the lives lost by Russian aggression.
Russian diplomats refused to stand up saying they will only do so if it is in memory of all the victims since 2014. Look at the rest. pic.twitter.com/U84Poslyrx
– Bahman Kalbasi (@BahmanKalbasi) February 24, 2023
The delegates, including several ministers, hesitated at that point and decided to sit down.
The Secretary General himself, António Guterres, who had risen first, also sat down, but seemed to hesitate, as did the others.
After several hand gestures from Nebenzya, Guterres finally rose again, and behind him, the entire diplomatic corps rose in a moment of silence.
The military offensive launched on February 24, 2022 by Russia in Ukraine has so far caused the flight of more than 14 million people -6.5 million internally displaced persons and more than eight million to European countries-, according to the latest data. recent reports from the UN, which classifies this refugee crisis as the worst in Europe since the Second World War (1939-1945).
Right now, at least 18 million Ukrainians are in need of humanitarian aid and 9.3 million are in need of food aid and shelter.
The Russian invasion – justified by Russian President Vladimir Putin as the need to “denazify” and demilitarize Ukraine for Russia’s security – was condemned by the wider international community, which has responded by sending weapons to Ukraine and imposing Russia from the political point of view and economic sanctions.
The UN presented as confirmed since the beginning of the war, exactly one year ago, 8,006 dead civilians and 13,287 wounded, stressing that these figures are far below the real ones.
Source: TSF
