The Ambassador of Ukraine c The united nations on Monday, he read what he said were the latest text messages from a Russian soldier to his mother – describing his horror of the unfolding war before he was killed.
This happened during an extraordinary session of the UN General Assembly to discuss the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The representative of Ukraine Serhiy Kislitsa made a passionate request for help by picking up a screenshot of the soldier’s texts.
“Mom, I’m not in Crimea anymore,” they began. “I’m not training.”
His mother asks, “Where are you then? Dad asks me if I can send you a package.
“What kind of shipment, Mom, can you send me,” he replies
‘What you mean? What happened?’
“Mom, I’m in Ukraine,” he replies before describing the horror unfolding.
“A real war is raging here. I’m afraid. We are bombing all the cities together, even whole civilians.
“We were told that they would meet us and they fell under our armored vehicles, threw themselves under the wheels and did not allow us to pass.
“They call us fascists. mom. It’s so hard.
Ukraine’s ambassador to the United Nations, Sergei Kislitsya, read the latest text messages from a Russian soldier to his mother on Monday, describing his horror of the unfolding war before he was killed.
People pass burnt cars the day after a shelling of a residential area in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv. The country is on its fifth day of fighting since Russia’s invasion on Thursday
Firefighters deal with a house fire after the recent shelling in the separatist-controlled city of Donetsk, Ukraine, as the conflict rages for five days
War in Ukraine, day 5: Russian forces are now trying to bypass Kyiv and encircle it from the west. Troops fighting the Crimea continue to succeed and are likely to surround Mariupol soon, while reaching the outskirts of a key Ukrainian nuclear power plant. Fighting in the east continues to be heavy, with no breakthrough for Putin
War in Ukraine: the latest
- Ukraine’s defense ministry says Russia has lost 5,300 troops, 29 planes, 29 helicopters and 151 tanks
- Russia’s Defense Ministry admitted for the first time that it had suffered losses, but declined to say how much
- Russia’s economy falls into free fall as Western sanctions imposed over the weekend take effect, with the ruble falling to its lowest level ever
- Moscow’s central bank has more than doubled interest rates to 20 percent
- Russia orders people and companies to sell 80% of their income in foreign currency, forcing them to buy the ruble to help maintain it
- The Moscow Stock Exchange will not open at least 15:00 in an attempt to prevent a total collapse
- Zelensky allows Ukrainian prisoners to be released if they join the defense forces to “pay off their debt”
- The President of Ukraine also announced the creation of an “international brigade” for foreign volunteers wishing to join the military, after “thousands” applied
- Spanish foreign minister calls Putin’s order to bring nuclear forces on high alert “another sign [his] absolute irrationality “
- Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe says his country should be open to deploying nuclear weapons
- Germany announces $ 112 million fund to rebuild the country’s armed forces, more than double its current self-defense budget
- EU announces for the first time in its history that it will send funds to Ukraine for weapons – including fighter jets
Kislica ended the exchange by saying that the last message was sent “moments” before the soldier was killed.
Message details cannot be checked immediately.
But Kislitsa went on to compare Russia’s actions with those of Nazi Germany, describing a militarized state invading a smaller neighbor and deadly air strikes against civilians.
“Very clear parallels can be drawn with the beginning of World War II,” he said.
“And Russia’s way of working is very similar to what their Third Reich spiritual mentors used on Ukrainian soil eight years ago.”
In 2014, Moscow annexed Crimea, beginning eight years of clashes in eastern Ukraine’s Donbass.
Kislitsa continued his comparison, mocking President Vladimir Putin’s decision to put Russia’s nuclear forces on alert
“If he wants to commit suicide, he doesn’t have to use a nuclear arsenal, he has to do what the man in Berlin did in a bunker in 1945,” he said, referring to Hitler’s suicide.
Kislytsia ended his appeal with a warning that the international order depends on Ukraine’s survival.
“If Ukraine does not survive … international peace will not survive,” he said.
“If Ukraine does not survive, the UN will not survive.
– Do not make illusions. If Ukraine does not survive, we cannot be surprised if democracy then fails. “
He spoke on the fifth day of the battle, during a frantic period of diplomacy.
Ukrainian and Russian officials held talks on the border with Belarus, but left without a decision.
President Joe Biden spent more than an hour talking confidently with allies and partners discussing how to increase pressure on Russia.
And the UN Security Council had to meet to discuss ways to alleviate the growing humanitarian crisis.
The General Assembly of 193 countries is expected to vote this week on a draft resolution calling for the withdrawal of Russian troops. However, his decisions are not binding
New satellite images also showed a military convoy spanning more than 17 miles (27km) approaching the capital, a US private company said.
The 193-nation General Assembly has fewer teeth than the Security Council and is often ridiculed as a talking shop. However, its non-binding resolutions carry political weight.
A draft resolution calling for the withdrawal of Russian troops will be voted on this week.
Following Ukraine’s pleas, she heard a Russian rebuttal.
Russia’s ambassador, Vasily Nebenzya, has insisted that his country has launched what he called a “special military operation” only to protect two breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine.
“Russia’s actions are distorted and thwarted,” he said.
But earlier, UN Secretary-General Antonio raised concerns about the impact on civilians.
“Although Russian strikes are reportedly aimed primarily at Ukrainian military sites, we have reliable information about residential buildings, critical civilian infrastructure and other non-military targets that have suffered severe damage,” he said.