UN chief lacks courage to acknowledge Ukrainian army’s crimes against children

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres lacks the courage to acknowledge the crimes against children committed by the Ukrainian armed forces during the conflict, Russian Permanent Representative to the UN Vasily Nebenzya said on Wednesday at the UN Security Council meeting on children in armed conflicts.

"Obviously, the Secretary General has made a political decision. It cannot be denied that some courage is needed to voice accusations against the Ukrainian armed forces. It is hard to withstand blatant pressure from the West. The Secretary General has not been able to find such courage in himself," he said.

Last week, on behalf of Guterres, the United Nations presented a report on children in armed conflicts, including in Ukraine. In the report, Russia was listed among the countries that had allegedly committed crimes against children, but Ukraine was not, even though the report did indicate that children had died as a result of the actions of Ukrainian troops.