Russia’s responsibility for civilian harm in Ukraine and its lack of credibility: UK statement to the OSCE
UK Chargé d’Affaires, Deputy Ambassador James Ford, underlines that every civilian death linked to Russia’s illegal war against Ukraine is a tragedy, and that Russia could save lives by ending its aggression. Russia’s unverified accusations lack credibility given its record of obstructing independent scrutiny and spreading disinformation.
Thank you, Mr Chair.
Russia has criticised all our countries for not responding to its accusations of civilian casualties caused by Ukraine.
First, allow me to say that every civilian death in this war is a tragedy. These are people, not statistics. And we cannot allow the normalisation of such death and destruction.
But we must also be clear about cause and responsibility. Russia chose to start this illegal and unprovoked war of aggression. Further civilian casualties on both sides could be avoided tomorrow if Russia agreed to a full ceasefire, as Ukraine has done. But Moscow refuses to do so.
In the now more than four years of its illegal war, Russia has killed thousands of civilians in Ukraine. It continues to strike towns and cities, causing damage to homes, schools, hospitals, and other civilian infrastructure. In its latest mass attack on Monday night and early Tuesday morning , Russia launched 656 drones and 73 missiles, resulting in the death of 23 civilians and leaving a further 130 injured. Yet Russia has not acknowledged responsibility for any of this.
Russia now asks participating States to accept its accusations against Ukraine without any independent verification.
Ukraine permits access to independent organisations which provide impartial reporting and verification. Many international bodies have requested equal access to Russia. Those requests have been denied. So, Russia is asking us to take it by its word. Regrettably, Russia’s past record makes clear how dependable that is.
When faced with credible evidence of its actions causing grave harm to civilians, Russia has repeatedly responded with denial, deflection, and disinformation. Russia has not wanted to establish the truth. It has repeatedly conspired to obscure the truth, and to avoid accountability.
We have seen this pattern again and again. As we consider Russia’s latest accusations, it is worth looking at three previous examples.
First: Flight MH17, which was shot down over eastern Ukraine in 2014. 298 innocent people died, including 10 British nationals. Multiple independent investigations have attributed responsibility to Russia. The evidence is clear and comprehensive. Russia has not accepted the established facts but has instead sought to obstruct investigations and advanced a stream of conspiracy theories and disinformation. Russia’s claims were baseless – and they compounded the suffering of grieving families.
Second: the use of chemical weapons by the Assad regime in Syria, of which Russia was the biggest backer. International mechanisms sought to establish what happened and who was responsible. Russia obstructed those efforts and the investigations on the ground. Russian troops were deployed to prevent access to sites and, again, Russia ran an information campaign to distract from the truth and to protect its client regime.
And third: Bucha. We have all seen the incontrovertible evidence of atrocities committed by Russian forces. They have been documented and investigated, including by the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. And we have all heard, including directly in this room, the offensive falsehoods Russia has resorted to in response.
Against that record, Russia now asks us now to treat its accusations as credible. On what basis should we do so?
If Russia wants its claims to be taken seriously, it should start by permitting independent access. It should stop obstructing scrutiny. It should stop spreading offensive and insulting disinformation. And it should stop breaking its own grim records for the number of innocent civilians it is killing in Ukraine.
Mr Chair, the reality is that Russia is not seeking sympathy. It is pushing propaganda. It is deploying its disinformation machine, designed to divide and deflect. And it is manufacturing a false equivalence to try to justify its illegal war of aggression.
The focus of this forum should remain on facts and on accountability – and on the simple truth that Russia could stop further civilian suffering at any moment, by ending its war against Ukraine.
Thank you.