A diplomatic spat unfolded on Monday over a UN Security Council session focusing on alleged war crimes, including sexual violence, by Russian forces in Ukraine.
Responding to European Council President Charles Michel, Russia’s deputy UN envoy claimed it’s the EU rather than Russia that is failing to acknowledge the truth on the conflict.
Earlier, Russia’s UN Ambassador Vasily Nebenzya stormed out of the UN session, while Charles Michel gave a speech sharply criticising Moscow. The EU official responded with a parting shot: “You may leave the room. Maybe it’s easier not to listen to the truth, dear Ambassador”.
His Twitter account posted the six-second episode, complete with subtitles and the text of the remark.
Dmitry Polyansky, Nebenzya’s deputy, tweeted a retort, saying the EU “clearly doesn’t need [the truth]” considering its “lies and unsubstantiated claims” about Russian soldiers.
“It’s painful to see such low professional standards and lack of manners from key EU functioners,” the diplomat said.
Polyansky claimed the accusations made by Michel and other Western officials during the UN session lacked evidence, and some speakers even “failed to adjust the narrative after the ‘exposure’ of the lies told by [former] Ukrainian ombudsman” Lyudmila Denisova.
Denisova, who was sacked by the Ukrainian parliament last week, was the source of many allegations of sexual violence implicating Russian troops. She claimed Russian soldiers raped girls in front of their mothers, children as young as two, and elderly people.
Her office has not provided evidence of the alleged atrocities or even details of the supposed incidents, making it impossible to verify the claims. Nevertheless, her allegations have been widely covered in the Western media.