ukraine ambassador sergeyev's speech to un security council meeting, nov 12, 2014, on donetsk,...

8/10/2019 Ukraine Ambassador Sergeyev's speech to UN Security Council Meeting, Nov 12, 2014, on Donetsk, Lugansk and Crimea

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Statement by

H.E. Mr.Yuriy Sergeyev, Permanent Representative

of Ukraine to the United Nations at the UN Security Council

Mr. President,

Distinguished members of the Security Council,

Thank you for having responded to my letter of November 7 and convened today's meeting. In

that latter I drew your attention to the dangerous deteriorating security situation in the East of

Ukraine that threatens our territorial integrity and has a tendency to transform to the frozen

conflict , and thus continues to be a challenge to peace and stability in the whole region of

Central and Eastern Europe and beyond.

With your assistance and assistance of the capitals of the OSCE members we managed to create

a Trilateral contact group: Ukraine - OSCE - Russia for peaceful settlement in the East of

Ukraine. This group held a range of meetings including those in Mmsk with an invitation of the

ringleaders from Luhansk and Donetsk regions. As a result we got two official documents:

Protocol and Memorandum which have been unanimously supported and signed on the 5th

and 29th of September by all participants of the meetings. UN Secretary General, leaders of the

EU, OSCE, individual countries, including those you represent called the Minsk agreements as

promising and as such that can bring peace and stability based on respect for sovereignty,

territorial integrity and independence of Ukraine. Commitment to agreements' implementation

was confirmed during the high level meeting in Milan on the 17th of October, where the

President of the Russian Federation participated.

Nevertheless, these agreements are grossly wolated by the Russian Federation and so called

leadership of militants. In this regard Mr. Ban-Ki-Moon has expressed hs disappointment and

called back the parties revolved into a settlement process to fulfill their obligations I would like

to turn your attention to a few major issues in thB regard.

1. We agreed with Russia in Minsk about an immediate bdateraJ ceasefire and withdrawal of

illegal armed groups, military equipment, as well as fighters and mercenaries from the temtory

of Ukraine. What happened nexP In breach of all agreements mlhtants backed by Russian

regular forces continue shelhng Ukrainian military as well as civilian locations, in particular with

MLRS Grad and Smerch. Since the 5th of September Ukrainian forces and civihans have been

shelled over 2700 times. 129 Ukraiman servicemen are killed. Over 650 are wounded. There are

at least 65 cwlians who lost their hves.


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Militants inspired by Russia dBregard efforts to set up the touchline hne and still conduct

offensive operations trying to extend the area under their control. As of the 4th of November,

militants and Russian regulars have significantly increased military maneuvers in both Donetsk

and Luhansk regions. Large-scale recruitment and training of militants takes place in the areas

of Donbas which are temporary out of our control as well as on the Russian side of the border.

Offensive Is expected in a number of locations along the touchline. We cannot exclude an

attempt to create a land corridor from Russia to temporary occupied Crimea.

Another interrelated alarming signal of the violation of Minsk agreements is a huge dlegal flow

from Russia to Ukraine of heavy military equipment along with personnel and fuel, which

continues after the 5th of September. During the last week a dangerous increase of illegal

armaments' supplies from Russia to militants was observed by Ukraine and OSCE. On the 6th of

November Ukrainian authorities have detected a large-scaled movement of heavy military

equipment from Russian territory to the Krasny Luch town in Ukraine: two columns included 32

tanks, 16 howitzers D-30, and 30 KAMAZ trucks with soldiers and ammunition. OSCE confirmed

on the 8th of November a movement of two columns of 50 fully-loaded KAMAZ trucks. Almost

every truck had an artillery mount in tow. On the 9th of November OSCE recorded a convoy of

17 ZIL trucks 15 km on the East of Donetsk. 5 tucks transported GRAD system. On the 10th of

November OSCE spotted another convoy of 27 trucks that supplied terrorists with 122 mm

howitzers and Radio location stations. On the same day a second convoy of trucks, 3 of which

camed Radio location stations, crossed the border through the checkpoint currently

uncontrolled by Ukraiman Border Guard Service. On the 11th of November OSCE recorded a

convoy of 43 trucks in the eastern part of Donetsk. 5 of the trucks carried 122 mm howitzers

and 5 of trucks carried MLRS. In the vicinity of militants' checkpoint near the town of

Novoazovsk antiaircraft rocket gun Pantzer (Armour) was spotted.

As you see, illegal Russian convoys with heavy weapons are regBtered literally every day.

RussB doesn't want to explain neither Ukraine, nor OSCE, nor the UN SC the purpose of such

military support being prowded to of the militants. Is it preparing a new trampling for further

armed invasion in Ukraine?

Contrary to that hostility and Russian propaganda myths Ukrainian forces obey the ceasefire

regime. They do their best to avoid full-scale military actions and use weapons only to defend

themselves in case of militants' attacks. Let me say very clearly: the only reason why the open

war m the East of Ukraine hasn't started yet is because of Ukraine's restraint. We remain

committed to peaceful settlement and Mmsk arrangements and urge RussB to do the same.

2. We agreed in Mmsk to ensure the momtoring and verification of the ceasefire by the OSCE.

We also agreed to ensure the permanent monitoring and verification by the OSCE of the


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Ukrainian-Russian border envisaging creation of security zones n the border regions of Ukraine

and the Russian Federation. Were we are with that?

Ukraine has rendered all necessary assistance for initial deployment and further expansion of

the OSCE Special Monitoring Mtsson in Ukraine and OSCE Observation Mission to ensure

proper momtonng and verification of the ceasefire and border resime.

Russia-supported militants could not extend securtty guarantees to the OSCE personnel to all

areas that they control and occastonaliy impede the SMM to perform their actMties. The

Russian side refused to extend OSCE observation activities to all Russian border checkpoints

along the 400-kin segment of the border that is currently out of Ukraine's control. Moreover, in

order to hide their violations Russian military use cuttins-edge electronic warfare to jam the

OSCE drones, thus dtsturbmg monitoring efforts in the resaon in spite of Mmsk arransements.

Why such a sticking difference in our percepttons of the role of OSCE monitors can play?

Ukraine is open for transparent control. Russia and ts puppets do are not.

3. We agreed in Minsk to adopt the Law of Ukraine on Local Government Provisional

Arrangements in Some Areas of Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts (law on the special status) and

to ensure within provisions of that law the early local elections in some areas of Donetsk and

Luhansk Oblasts.

The mentioned new law was adopted by Ukrainian Parliament on 16 September. Accordingly

to this btll local elections in some areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions were scheduled for

December 7 and were intended to produce legitimate local self-governance which would make

proper use of enhanced powers, ensage mto an inclusive national dialogue and ensure

reconstruction of Donbas severely suffered from military activities of illegal armed 8roups.

Contrary to that on the 2nd of November Russia-backed terrorists held tllegitimate 'elections'

of so called presidents and parhaments of self-proclatmed illegttimate entities in certam

areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions. These 'elections' were conducted tn vtolation of

Ukrainian lesislatlon and international standards and contrary to articles 3 and 9 of the Minsk

Protocol. Local residents were mtimldated and bribed to vote. The real turnout as unknown

because of gross falstflcatlons and fraud. Actually, that so called elections were organtzed and

held without any legal basis and voters' register and cannot represent pubhc opinion of the

region in any way.

We are very much concerned by the position of the Russian Federation which manipulates with

the right of peoples for self-determination. It has the only prtority - to feed separatism and

create frozen confhcts in sovereign states treated by Russia as zones of Its national interests.

We see a lot of smilantes between the llegal and anta-consttutional pseudo elections n

certain areas of Donetsk and Lugansk regions and the illesal referendum in Crimea, which was


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held on March 16, 2014. Both events contradicted the Constitution of Ukraine and were

conducted under the barrels of guns. That is why Ukraine as well as the international

community wdl newer recognize the illegal referendum m Crimea and illegal pseudo elections in

certain areas of Donetsk and Lugansk regions.

Why having legal instruments in both situations pro-Russian leaders in Crimea and Donetsk-

Lugansk performed illegally and illogically? Qui bono The only answer as to those, who want

to keep conflict pending and lasting.

Ukrainian leadership has already expressed its deep concern on the violation of Mmsk

agreements by Russia and ringleaders of from some Luhansk and Donetsk regions. Illegal

elections and continuous ceaseflre regime violations by mihtants have seriously undermined

Mmsk process of peaceful settlement. It questioned the confidence to those signatories who

are not in a position to keep their word.

Nevertheless Kiev confirmed its commitments to continue to observe the regime of ceasefire in

line with Minsk agreements and called all involved in the process to swiftly resume settlement

efforts. We try to make use of all possible mechanisms to forge a peaceful solution to the

situation. Kiev proposed EU, USA to meet in Geneva format to find a way out from the dead

end illegal elections brought us in. However, we will not submit to Russia's attempt to reduce

impliot recogmtion in the international arena of ringleaders of illegal entities in Donbas by

inviting them to this meeting.

We keep addressing Russian Federation: if this country is really in a position to assist peaceful

settlement in the East of Ukraine, it has to stop backing illegal armed groups, immediately and

strictly comply with the Minks agreements by withdrawing its mihtary forces and weaponry

from the territory of Ukraine, estabhshmg joint customs and border control as well as releasing

all Ukrainian hostages captured by Russian forces and their proxies, and to stop Russza's long-

lasting mdrtary exercBes in close vicinity to our borders.

I thank you Mr. President.

ukraine ambassador sergeyev's speech to un security council meeting, nov 12, 2014, on donetsk,...

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