Russia has repeatedly violated its OSCE commitments through its actions in Ukraine: UK statement to the OSCE
Ambassador Holland condemns Russia's repeated violation of its OSCE commitments to non-intervention in internal affairs of others and respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms during its years of meddling in Ukraine.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Russia’s aggression against Ukraine is a clear assault on the foundational principles of the OSCE. The Decalogue of the Helsinki Final Act was adopted by us all in 1975 and underpins the post-World War Two commitment to peace, sovereignty, and cooperation among nations. And yet, despite being one of the founding signatories, Russia has violated the Decalogue’s principles time and time again.
Russia’s efforts to illegally annex Crimea in 2014, as well as its subsequent support to proxy groups in Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts, were a blatant infringement on Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. This followed the economic coercion Russia placed on the Ukrainian government in 2013 in a bid to thwart its European integration. Russia’s actions constitute direct interference in Ukraine’s internal political processes, with the aim of destabilising the country and hindering its independent decision making.
Russia escalated these violations with its illegal full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, as it sought to subjugate forcibly its independent neighbour. Russia’s unprovoked war is a clear effort to dictate Ukraine’s political alignment, restrict its sovereignty, and deny its people the right to choose their own future free from external coercion.
Collectively, Russia’s actions violate every single commitment on the non-intervention in the internal affairs of sovereign states detailed within Principle VI of the Decalogue.
Madam Chair, since 2014, the illegitimate Russian authorities in Crimea have engaged in widespread suppression of dissent, targeting journalists, civil society activists, and the indigenous Crimean Tatar community. Reports of arbitrary arrests, enforced disappearances, and the silencing of critics through intimidation and harassment reflect an intentional effort to eliminate freedom of expression and quash any opposition to Russia’s occupation. And since the full-scale invasion in 2022, Russia has spread these tactics to the newly occupied territories, where the civilian population has faced severe restrictions on freedom of movement, freedom of expression, and freedom of religion or belief.
Just last week, the world learned of the death in a Russian prison of Viktoriia Roschyna, a courageous 27-year-old Ukrainian journalist who was reportedly detained for her work documenting life in the occupied Ukrainian territories. Our thoughts are with Viktoriia’s loved ones, and we condemn the unlawful detention of civilians.
The Moscow Mechanism reports document the widespread and systematic use of torture by Russian authorities, including electrocutions and conflict-related sexual violence. Extrajudicial killings and forced deportations are also documented. These violations of International Humanitarian Law and violations and abuses of International Human Rights Law are further evidence of Russia’s disregard for its commitments under the Helsinki Final Act, in particular Principle VII, which emphasises respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, including the rights of minorities.
By undermining Ukraine’s sovereignty and denying fundamental human rights, Russia has over many years picked apart the foundational principles of the OSCE. The UK unequivocally condemns Russia’s actions and calls on it to immediately end its war of aggression and respect its OSCE commitments. Thank you.