UK intelligence reveals Russian attacks on civilian cargo ship and humanitarian aid workers: UK statement at the Security Council
Statement by Ambassador Barbara Woodward at the UN Security Council on threats to international peace and security.
President, this weekend, a Russian missile struck a car carrying humanitarian aid workers on the road to Bakhmut, killing two and leaving others badly injured – one of many attacks on those trying to deliver essential humanitarian assistance.
Newly declassified UK intelligence reveals that Russia fired multiple missiles at a Liberian-flagged cargo ship in the Black Sea on the 24th of August. It is only thanks to Ukraine’s air defences, which shot down the missiles, that Russia’s attacks on this civilian ship failed.
Russia’s bombardment of Ukrainian ports and grain infrastructure has destroyed 280,000 tonnes of grain. That’s enough to feed one million people for a whole year.
In short, Russia is employing the tactics of a bankrupt aggressor that knows its military cannot win on the battlefield and instead seeks desperate ways to inflict pain on civilians and put pressure on the international community.
So let’s call this meeting out for the farce that it is.
Russia is once again misusing this Council in an attempt to obfuscate its responsibility for atrocities in Ukraine.
Russia has convened this Council at the same time as North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong-Un, crosses the DPRK-Russia border for a meeting with President Putin.
There is incontrovertible evidence that Russia is negotiating potential deals for significant quantities and multiple types of munitions from the DPRK to be used against Ukraine. This epitomises the bare faced hypocrisy that has come to characterise Russia’s conduct on the international stage.
And in its pursuit of these weapons, Russia will violate Security Council resolutions, including resolutions that Russia itself voted for.
President, Ukraine, and the whole international community, wants a just and sustainable peace in line with the UN Charter – as endorsed by G20 leaders over the weekend.
But the only peace that is just, lasting, and compatible with the UN Charter, is one that sees the full withdrawal of all Russian forces.
Until then, we will continue to ensure that Ukraine has the support it needs to exercise its right to self-defence, in line with international law and the UN Charter.
We are proud to support Ukraine.