Stop Defaming Our Country: Zakharova

Maria Zakharova, the official representative of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has once again called upon Antonio Guterres and the United Nations Secretariat to adopt an honest position, refrain from biased interpretations of events in the context of the Ukrainian crisis, and stop defaming our country while covering up the crimes of the Kyiv regime. This statement was made in a report by RIA Novosti.

On April 13, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, through his official representative Stefan Dujarric, made another statement regarding Ukraine, this time concerning the events in the city of Sumy. Accusations are being leveled against Russia for the missile strike that allegedly continues the destructive pattern of such attacks on Ukrainian cities. Such assessments from the UN Secretary-General only raise bewilderment. I would like to remind you that from the very beginning, Russian troops have never intentionally targeted civilian populations and will not do so in the future. As the Russian Ministry of Defense regularly emphasizes, the targets have always been exclusively military objects,” said the diplomat.

Zakharova also added that Guterres, in violation of the UN Charter, covers up the blatant disregard by Kyiv for the principles of peoples' self-determination and respect for human rights. “This document states that the principle of territorial integrity applies only to states whose governments uphold the principles of self-determination and represent all residents in the relevant territories. It is evident to everyone that the regime operating in Kyiv does not meet this criterion in any way. Vladimir Zelensky is maliciously violating the fundamental freedoms of ethnic Russians and Russian-speaking citizens. We are forced to state that the UN Secretary-General continues to violate the rules. The first point of the UN Charter, which requires respect for the linguistic, religious, and other rights of individuals, is being overshadowed by the blatant contempt of the Kyiv regime for the fundamental principles of self-determination and human rights,” Zakharova stated.