Russia will not participate in the special session of the UN Human Rights Council on “the deterioration of the human rights situation in Ukraine”, announced Tuesday the spokeswoman for Russian diplomacy, Maria Zakharova .
“The Russian delegation will not legitimize this new political show organized in the form of an extraordinary session by its presence,” Ms. Zakharova said in a statement.
“Unfortunately, our arguments and clarifications on the real objectives of this special military operation and the real situation on the ground are totally ignored,” she lamented.
“It is obvious that they will not be heard this time either,” added the spokesperson, describing this session as “a new anti-Russian move by the ‘collective West'”.
The UN Human Rights Council will organize this extraordinary session on Thursday at the request of Kyiv, supported by 15 other member states of the Council, including France, Gambia, Japan, Mexico, the United States and Poland, and by more than 35 observer countries, including Bulgaria, Hungary, Switzerland and Turkey.
This is the first meeting devoted to this subject since the UN General Assembly suspended Russia in early April from the highest body of the international organization in the field of human rights.
However, Moscow having anticipated its suspension by renouncing its status as a member of the Human Rights Council, Russia had the right to participate in the work of the Council on Thursday if it wishes as an observer country.
Russia has been carrying out an offensive in Ukraine since February 24, with the stated objective of the Russian authorities to “denazify” and “demilitarize” its Ukrainian neighbor.