Thank you, Mr Vice President and thank you very much, High Commissioner. I do hope that the Russian Ambassador and his film crew were able to capture your stark account of the realities of the human rights atrocities that are being committed by the Russians, and not merely the fantasy fiction of the disinformation that we have been presented with by the Russian Ambassador.
The evidence presented in your report presents a stark pattern of the atrocities Russia is committing against the Ukrainian people. Your report describes systematic torture of Ukrainians by Russia – 97% of prisoners of war interviewed since March reported experiencing torture or ill treatment, and 68% said they had experienced sexual violence. Senior Russian officials calling for the execution of Ukrainian POWs. Its large-scale coordinated attacks against Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, deliberately targeting power systems which serve civilian populations, and which you rightly conclude is a violation of international humanitarian law
Just last week, as you noted, we marked two years since Russia’s attempted annexation of four oblasts in eastern Ukraine. Those living under Russian occupation continue to face arbitrary detention, passportisation, and the seizure of land and property.
Even children, both those living under Russian occupation and those who have been deported to Russia, are facing indoctrination and re-education programmes designed to distort and erase Ukrainian history.
High Commissioner,
How can we continue to remind Russia of its obligations under international humanitarian law, international human rights law and the UN Charter?
