Russia slams UNRC report on Ukraine as mendacious - TASS

Russia considers UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet‘s report on the situation in Ukraine as part of a campaign of spreading lies about Moscow’s actions, Russian diplomat Yevgeny Ustinov said on Tuesday.
"We have to admit that the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has ultimately downplayed its role to a mere instrument of serving one particular group of states," he said at the 50th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council. "The tone and the content of the report indicate that it is part of disinformation campaign against Russia, which is geared to spread lies, manipulate public opinion, including to justify weapons supplies to the Kiev regime, which uses them against civilians in the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics."

According to the Russian diplomat, another goal of the report is to "hush up the Kiev regime’s crimes." The report "cynically exempts Ukrainian armed units from responsibility, including through blaming both parties for such violations of international humanitarian law as organizing combat emplacements at civilian facilities and using cluster bombs," he said.

"We saw no assessments either of the high commissioner or the head of the UN monitoring mission concerning massive shelling of residential quarters and civilian facilities in the DPR and LPR Ukrainian troops conducted every day in May and June from heavy weapons, including those supplied from NATO countries," he noted. "Under your passive eye, Ukrainian nationalists have been terrorizing Donbass’ civilian population for eight years. And now your unscrupulousness is actually making you accomplices of the Kiev regime and its Western patrons."

Such position, in his words, undermines confidence not only to the UN mechanisms but also to the entire activities of the organization.

The 50th session of the UN Human Rights Council is running in Geneva from June 13 to July 8. Russia is not a member of the Council but enjoys the right to attend its sessions as a United Nations member.