Ukraine Delegation at UN Declares Russia Adopts Nazi Tactics
Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, claiming, among other
things, that had embarked on its never-ending futile quest for Nazis. However,
as to be expected, the prey turns out to be the hounds.
The widespread death and destruction that the Russian cutthroats have
spread across Ukraine has correctly likened them to Nazis who also mercilessly shed
blood across Europe some 80 years ago.
Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the UN
Sergiy Kyslytsya, speaking on January 13, 2025, at the UN Security Council
Arria-formula meeting on “Violations of international humanitarian law against
Ukrainian prisoners of war and civilian detainees” bluntly compared Russian soldiers
with Nazis.
“Russia in turn, has fully adopted the
practices of the Third Reich – ranging from the annexation of sovereign
territories and the razing of Ukrainian cities to the ground, to the deliberate
execution of Ukrainian POWs and civilians,” Kyslytsya declared unequivocally.
The dreadful testimonies from the
Ukrainian briefers that day or on earlier occasions have confirmed that the war
crimes and crimes against humanity committed by Russia are not isolated
incidents, but rather “systematic practices endorsed at all levels of Russian
leadership,” the Ukrainian diplomat said.
“All Ukrainians are their targets, be
they military or civilians, men or women, children or the elderly. Less than a
week ago, on January 8, Russia again demonstrated its adherence to this inhumane
modus operandi. Thirteen civilians were killed and 127 were wounded by the
aerial bombs that Russia dropped on a crowded street of the city of
Zaporizhzhia. As the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine reported,
this heinous attack caused the highest number of civilian casualties in a single
incident in almost two years,” he elaborated.
In addition to the indiscriminate
murder of unarmed Ukrainian civilians, Kyslytsya pointed out that Russians are
also killing Ukrainian soldiers who have surrendered and thus who should enjoy protection
under international law.
Citing an incident on January 3, 2025,
Kyslytsya recounted that in the village of Vremivka, Volnovakha district, Russian
forces captured two Ukrainian servicemen, executed them at close range, and
then fired additional shots to ensure their deaths. He said the Russians killed
in cold blood 202 Ukrainian POWs but “the true number is likely much higher.”
Another humanitarian transgression of
the Russian invaders is their incommunicado detention of Ukrainian civilians
and military personnel that denies access to UN and ICRC representatives. “The ungrounded
persecution and detention of civilians is a clear violation of international
humanitarian law, and all such detained civilians must be unconditionally
released,” Kyslytsya demanded.
“We urge the UN Security Council and
all responsible Member-States to demand that Russia cease the torture and
ill-treatment of Ukrainian POWs and detainees. Humanitarian and human rights
mechanisms must be granted immediate and unrestricted access to ensure humane treatment
and safe repatriation,” he added.
The Ukrainian delegation has previously
brought to the Security Council’s attention how Russian recruits train to
operate drones by targeting and killing innocent civilians in the streets of
the city of Kherson. In Russian schools, war criminals are holding diabolical
lessons for Russian children, “encouraging them to learn how to kill
Ukrainians,” Kyslytsya said.
The Russian Foreign Ministry also not
surprisingly joined this charade by training its diplomats across the globe,
including in New York, to disseminate lies and maintain smear campaigns. “Producing
fakes about Azov Brigade has been among the main tools of Russian propaganda
since 2014,” he pointed out.
Kyslytsya said this is in stark
contrast to realty created by this Ukrainian military unit: “The full-scale war
has ultimately revealed the truth. Soldiers of the Azov Brigade were among the
courageous defenders of Mariupol in 2022, staying in the besieged city and
protecting its residents, who Russia killed on an industrial scale, until the
very end.”
He demanded that “Russia’s open
defiance of international law must end.” It is imperative for the international
community and the UN member-states to ensure accountability for Russia’s crimes
and justice for the victims, Kyslytsya added.
“That’s why, if Russian diplomats are
truly eager to combat neo-Nazism, they might start by calling the Russian
Ministry of Defense. They may ask, for instance, about the ‘Rusich’ unit, which
operates as part of the Russian army. Its members openly embrace their neo-Nazi
views and their commander Milchakov openly declares, ‘I’m a Nazi, I speak about
it directly. [I] can even raise a hand [in Nazi greeting.]’”
Milchakov’s subordinates bear a striking
resemblance to their commander, Kyslytsya continued. “They could play with a
severed head of a prisoner, boasting about it in interviews, or post ads on
social media seeking a ‘Crimean Tatar for ritual sacrifice’ and then brag about
carrying out such a ritual.”
The Ukrainian diplomat astonishingly
said that these are just some of many examples illustrating how war crimes and
crimes against humanity have become standard practice for the Russian army.
Responsibility for this is inevitable,
he concluded, and hopefully there will be hell to pay.