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Nebenzia’s lies at the UN

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On 16 January, at a UN Security Council meeting, Russia’s Permanent Representative Nebenzia said that Ukrainians were allegedly fleeing Ukraine en masse, which had turned into a “Zelenskyy concentration camp” after “the cancellation of any elections.” This is a classic example of Russian propaganda based on cynical lies and distortion of facts.

Firstly, the mass exodus of Ukrainians abroad began not after the decision to postpone the presidential election, which was to take place in the spring of 2024, but in the last days of February 2022, when Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Ukrainians – primarily women, children and the elderly – were forced to flee abroad by the barbaric brutality of the Russian Armed Forces. Bucha, Borodianka, Mariupol, Izium and dozens of other Russian crimes forced some Ukrainians to leave the country temporarily.

Secondly, Russian propaganda began spreading fakes about the top leadership of the state allegedly leaving Ukraine from the first days of the full-scale invasion. All of them were refuted by facts: The Office of the President of Ukraine, the Verkhovna Rada and the Government have been working and continue to work. The number of officials who have fled Ukraine for one reason or another is as small as the Russian lies about the alleged “massive flight of the Ukrainian elite.”

Thirdly, the narrative that Volodymyr Zelenskyy has allegedly ‘lost legitimacy’ and ‘turned into a usurper’ who cancelled the elections under the pretext of war is false. The decision to hold elections after the end of martial law was made following the current legislation of Ukraine. It was based on the consensus of all political forces represented in the parliament, civil society and the vast majority of Ukrainians. The only reason why elections cannot be held in Ukraine is the Russian aggression, which daily air terror of the entire country, including the deepest rear accompanies.

Fourth, the restrictions imposed by martial law are established following the current legislation of Ukraine. The Verkhovna Rada makes the decision to extend martial law, including with the participation of opposition MPs. However, even in times of war, Ukraine remains a democratic country where civil society influences decision-making and the media provides a platform for the expression of a wide variety of views. The only exception is the propaganda of the “Russian world” – the ideology that the Kremlin uses to justify its criminal attack on Ukraine. According to Reporters Without Borders, in 2024, Ukraine moved up 18 positions in the global Freedom of Speech Index, placing it in the same group as countries such as the United States.

Thus, by spreading propaganda lies from the high rostrum of the UN, the Russian Federation, represented by Permanent Representative Nebenzi, demonstrates its deep contempt for the Security Council and the entire Organisation. 

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