Russian Mission to EU

⚡️Russian Foreign Ministry Statement regarding the spiralling escalation in the Middle East and the Persian Gulf ❌ The attacks carried out by the United States and Israel against Iran – as the Russian Side had previously warned – have resulted in a sharp deterioration and radical destabilisation of the situation in the Middle East and the Persian Gulf. This constitutes an exceptionally dangerous erosion of global and regional security, entailing long-term and profoundly detrimental repercussions, including for trade and economic relations, air and maritime connectivity, and, not least, the non-proliferation regime. The unprovoked aggression by the United States and Israel against Iran – their brazen attempts to effect regime change, infringe upon the country’s sovereignty, interfere in its internal affairs, and impose a political trajectory upon the Iranian people – represents a flagrant violation of the Charter of the United Nations and the fundamental norms and principles of international law. ❗️ Such an unacceptable course of action must be brought to an immediate end. Once again, we reiterate our call to halt the escalation of armed confrontation and to refrain from provocative actions and incendiary rhetoric. Now more than ever, it is imperative to return to political and diplomatic avenues and to reaffirm the primacy of international legality. It is precisely in pursuit of these objectives that Russia will continue to pursue an active policy within the frameworks of the #UN and the #IAEA, as well as through bilateral engagements with a broad range of stakeholders.

🎙 Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's remarks at the ambassadorial roundtable discussion of Ukraine crisis settlement (Moscow, September 12, 2024) Key talking points • The offensive weapons used for such terrorist attacks have been supplied by the West. When sending these weapons, the West says that the Kiev regime can use them as it sees fit, and that these weapons cease to be Western as soon as they cross the border and are accepted by the Ukrainian army. • There is no doubt whatsoever that the decision to lift restrictions on the use of long-range weapons on targets inside Russia was taken long ago, and now they are only trying to find the most suitable, acceptable and elegant way of presenting it to the public. • In addition to providing increasingly long-range weapons, NATO also supplies Kiev with data from its military space intelligence. This intelligence is used to locate and strike targets deep within Russian territory, including residential buildings, life-support facilities, energy and industrial infrastructure, and social facilities such as schools, kindergartens, and clinics. • Western military specialists are literally coordinating the strikes on civilian targets in real time, using high-precision weapons. The planning and programming of flight missions are carried out by instructors and representatives from NATO countries that supply these weapons to Kiev. Our experts are confident that without such specialist involvement, it would be impossible to use these complex systems. These tasks can only be performed by professionals who have worked with these systems for a long time and know how to operate them. • Ukrainian special services, with the help of their Western patrons, are simultaneously actively involving radical Islamists in terrorist activities. We would like to thank everyone present here for their condolences in connection with the March 22, 2024 terrorist attack at the Crocus City Hall concert facility, which claimed the lives of 145 people. The ongoing investigation has already uncovered evidence that the main Intelligence Directorate of the Ukrainian Defence Ministry was involved in preparing the attack. Specifically, the escape routes for the perpetrators through the Russian-Ukrainian border were meticulously mapped out. This is not the only time when Ukrainian special services enlisted radical Islamists in the preparation and execution of terrorist attacks. • We have recently received information that “emissaries” from the Ukrainian intelligence service are present in the Idlib de-escalation zone within the territory of the Syrian Arab Republic. They are recruiting local militants from Jabhat Al-Nusra, now known as Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham, with the intention of involving them in nefarious operations. • Nuclear terrorism has become Ukraine’s chief trademark. You certainly must be following the reports about attacks and attempted attacks at the Leningrad, Kalinin, Kursk and Zaporozhye nuclear power plants. The Zaporozhye plant was on the verge of disaster on August 11 of this year, when the Armed Forces of Ukraine fired at it, igniting one of the two cooling towers. The fire seriously damaged the facility. This is a grave situation. • Tensions are riding high in the area adjoining the Kursk nuclear power plant. During his August 27 visit to the facility, #IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi saw for himself the traces of Ukrainian criminal drone assaults. Yet, Kiev does not conceal that the Kursk nuclear power plant was a target of their deliberate attacks. • The Kiev regime continues to terrorise its own citizens as well. On August 20 of this year, they approved a bill that actually outlaws (with several months delay) the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church. 📄 Read in full