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.