Recent embarrassing statements by Russian Ambassador to the Republic of Indonesia Sergei Tolchenov regarding Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine represent yet another attempt to distort facts and mislead the esteemed international community.
ecent embarrassing statements by Russian Ambassador to the Republic of Indonesia Sergei Tolchenov regarding Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine, as well as Ukraine’s ongoing struggle for sovereignty and peace, represent yet another attempt to distort facts and mislead the esteemed international community.
As Ukrainian Ambassador to Indonesia, I feel it is necessary to clarify the issues and reaffirm the truth amid such outrageous, blatant lies.
Ukraine is a democratic multicultural country that cherishes diversity and tolerance among its people. We are proud to be a nation where various languages are spoken, all religions are respected and human rights are upheld. For decades, Ukraine has worked tirelessly to build its society on the principles of freedom, justice and equality for all citizens. And that is why only the Ukrainian people have the right to decide upon the future destiny of Ukraine.
Since Feb. 24, 2022, when the Russian war against Ukraine, which started back in 2014, became full-scale aggression against my country, the world has witnessed an unprecedented violation by the Russian Federation of all existing international laws, as well as core principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity enshrined in the UN Charter.
Ukrainian law enforcement agencies have already launched investigations into some 152,328 war crimes and crimes against humanity, as well as 20,202 crimes against national security committed by the Russian state. These include the killing of 13,850 civilians (including 596 children) and the wounding of 27,176 civilians (including 1,734 children).
UN investigators documented 376 cases of conflict-related sexual violence committed by Russia and its troops in Ukraine.
While Ukraine stands firm defending its freedom and democracy, Russia continues to manipulate narratives to justify its aggression.
Through the last 350 years, Ukraine has been a victim of Moscow’s imperialistic endeavors, its attempts to extinguish Ukrainian culture, the Ukrainian language and the Ukrainian nation as a whole, whether during the time of the old Russian Empire, the Soviet Union or the Russian Federation. And it’s not only Ukraine. One can simply check how many times Russia has invaded another country, even within the last century. And Russian leadership itself refers often to its ambitions to reassert Russian dominance in former imperial territories.
That is why this is not about NATO, but only about the Kremlin’s neo-imperialistic ambitions.
For Ukraine, membership in NATO, which in essence is a collective defense alliance, is the way to obtain security guarantees for its sovereignty in the future against possible – and, in fact, inevitable – new Russian attempts to eliminate Ukraine from the world map.
Talking about negotiations, no one wants to end this war more than Ukraine. But we’ve already witnessed that Russia cannot be trusted. It sounds absurd when the aggressor speaks about a “peaceful solution”. While the Kremlin speaks about peace, it continues to murder civilians and bombard hospitals and residential buildings.
Since the first days of the full-scale invasion, Russia has issued only surrender ultimatums to Ukraine. This remains unchanged. That is why we must push Moscow toward a comprehensive, just and lasting peace with real and effective security guarantees from our partners.
Let us not forget that through all these years there have been no foreign military forces involved in the fight in Ukraine. Nevertheless, this is one of the favorite topics of the Kremlin’s propaganda. But in fact, it is Russia that has deployed North Korean troops to fight against Ukraine, which led to the internationalization of the war and its expansion beyond the borders of the two states. And the world can now see what is true and what is Russian systematic disinformation and lies.
Ukraine always respects the principles of frank dialogue and mutual respect. And today, Ukrainian people are paying the highest possible price to defend not only Ukraine’s territory but the rights of every sovereign country, no matter how big an aggressor they face, and every nation in the world to determine its destiny, to follow its national interests and to make sovereign decisions.
Vasyl Hamianin
Ukrainian Ambassador to Indonesia
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