Chris Lange, FISM News
In an extremely rare public expression of opposition to the war from among Russia’s elite, a Kremlin diplomat delivered a scathing rebuke of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine in a letter of resignation sent to foreign colleagues.
“Never have I been so ashamed of my country as on Feb. 24,” wrote Boris Bondarev, 41, a veteran Russian envoy to the U.N. office at Geneva.
Bondarev describes the Russian war as “not only a crime against the Ukrainian people but also perhaps the most serious crime against the people of Russia.” He adds that the true motive behind the war is to keep the Russian elite in power so they have broadcast lies to the Russian people to support their aims.
BREAKING: 🇷🇺 Russia’s Counsellor to the United Nations in Geneva has resigned.
Boris Bondarev: “Never have I been so ashamed of my country.”
UN Watch is now calling on all other Russian diplomats at the United Nations—and worldwide—to follow his moral example and resign.
— Hillel Neuer (@HillelNeuer) May 23, 2022
“It is intolerable what my government is doing now,” Bondarev told the Associated Press after the letter was sent. “As a civil servant, I have to carry a share of responsibility for that. And I don’t want to do that.”
Bondarev said that his letter was not the first time he has spoken out against the war, saying that, on several occasions, he expressed his disapproval to Russian colleagues, many of whom he said share his viewpoint but are too afraid to speak out.
“Some said, ‘Everybody disagrees, but we have to keep working’ while others replied ‘Shut up and stop spreading this bad influence– especially among younger diplomats,’” he recalled.
“Not all Russian diplomats are warmongering. They are reasonable, but they have to keep their mouths shut,” he added.
Bondarev said that, while he has not yet seen or heard any reaction from Moscow regarding his resignation or denouncement of Putin, he is admittedly concerned about the potential fallout.
“I have to be concerned about it,” he said, adding that he could be held up as an example to any other officials who want to speak out against the war.
“If my case is prosecuted, then if other people want to follow, they would not,” he said.
Zelenskyy urges world leaders to help rebuild war-torn country
Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy called for political and business leaders around the world to help rebuild his country and made another bid for tougher sanctions against Russia. The requests were made during a video address at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland on Monday, Reuters reported.
Zelenskyy invited companies who have cut ties with Russia over the war to do business with Ukraine instead. He also called on world powers to help Ukraine get its grain out to the global market to avoid a potential food crisis, noting that Russia has blocked Ukrainian ports.
Elsewhere, global defense leaders on Monday agreed to send more advanced weapons to Ukraine at a virtual meeting of The Ukraine Defense Contact Group composed of 47 nations as well as NATO and European Union representatives. The U.S. was represented by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chair Gen. Mark Milley.
“After today’s discussions, I’m pleased to report that we’re intensifying our efforts,” Austin was quoted as saying in a DoD press release. “Moving forward we’ll continue to deepen our coordination and cooperation so that Ukraine can sustain and strengthen its battlefield operations. Our combined efforts will also fortify and modernize Ukraine’s armed forces to help them deter future Russian aggression.”
Among the new advanced weaponry is a Harpoon launcher and missiles to protect Ukraine’s coast, Austin told reporters.
Austin also stated that the U.S. will not dictate Ukraine’s terms for a future peace deal with Russia, stating, “This is Ukraine’s fight. It’s not the United States’ fight.”
Ukraine suffers largest military loss following attack on barracks
Ukraine’s President Zelenskyy on Monday said a Russian airstrike on a barracks housing Ukrainian troops killed 87 soldiers – the highest loss of life in a single attack to date in the war. The deadly incident occurred last Tuesday in Desna, a town to the north of Kyiv, the Associated Press reported. Prior to Zelenskyy’s announcement, Ukrainian officials reported that only eight soldiers died in the attack.
As the conflict enters its third month, fighting continues to rage in the eastern Donbas region. Russian forces continue to try to surround and capture Sievierodonetsk and neighboring cities, the only part of the Donbas’ Luhansk region that remains under Ukrainian control, British military authorities said. The battle there represents only one part of Moscow’s campaign to take the Donbas, where it has shifted focus after failing to overtake Kyiv.
Britain’s Defense Ministry said that Russian forces have achieved “some localized successes,” despite fierce Ukrainian resistance along dug-in positions but said the fall of Sievierodonetsk and surrounding areas could cause logistical problems for the Russians.