Gennady Gatilov, Russia’s permanent representative to the UN headquarters in Geneva, warned of the consequences of possible silence from the international organization on the recent bombings in Kherson, a coastal region under Russian administration. He explained that the lack of comment would be interpreted as a sign of complicity in the attack, which, according to Europa Press, killed at least 24 people and injured around fifty people.
According to Europa Press, the Russian diplomat called in a statement for the public and urgent condemnation of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk and his office (OHCHR), as well as the special procedures of the UN Human Rights Council. The request was based on the seriousness of the incident, which the Russian government believes constitutes a terrorist attack by Ukrainian forces in the city of Jorli in the Kherson region on the Black Sea coast.
Europa Press explained that the Russian mission to international institutions based in Switzerland distributed the statement via Telegram. In the same document, the Russian representative mentioned the need for international human rights organizations to act quickly and visibly and move away from any neutrality. Gatilov insisted that concealing this tragedy would amount to “open complicity and participation in the bloody crimes of the neo-Banderists,” a term used by Russian sectors in reference to Ukrainian ultranationalist movements historically linked to Stepan Bandera and fascist positions.
The statement collected by Europa Press also contained a direct accusation against Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his entourage. Gatilov called the attack “another insane atrocity by Zelensky and his clique” and pointed out that, according to Russian diplomacy, the Kiev authorities’ goal is to remain in power at any cost. The Russian representative added that, in his view, this type of action is aimed at diverting attention from Ukraine’s alleged military difficulties on the front and blocking attempts to resolve the conflict through peaceful means.
The reaction of the Russian diplomatic mission in Geneva coincided with the official silence of the Ukrainian authorities on the attack in Jorli. Europa Press reported that while the Ukrainian government has not commented on the allegations surrounding the attack in territory controlled by Russian forces, the Ukrainian military governor of Kherson, Oleksandr Prokudin, has made public the death of a 31-year-old man. However, Prokudin attributed this death to a Russian drone strike recorded in the Dnipro district of Kherson, demonstrating the narrative dispute surrounding events in the region.
Media outlet Europa Press noted that both the nature of the attack and the number of victims were part of the current exchange of accusations between Moscow and Kiev. The Russian government’s complaints to the United Nations are part of a strategy to seek international opinions in support of its positions, while Ukraine maintains its own channels to report on the military and security situation in the disputed areas.
The incident highlighted the high tension in coastal Kherson, an area whose control changed as part of the armed conflict and which continues to be the scene of clashes and airstrikes. Europa Press stressed that the region’s location under Russian administration but internationally recognized as part of Ukraine contributes to the political and military complexity of the conflict.
In his message published by the Russian mission in Geneva, Gatilov stressed that the actions of the “Kiev regime” were politically motivated and aimed at preventing any progress towards peace. At the same time, he called for top officials of the UN human rights system to take an active role and publicly comment on the attack in question, as the case represents a test of the independence and impartiality of international institutions.
The Russian representative’s statements reflect the dynamics of the diplomatic confrontation within the United Nations in the context of the Ukrainian-Russian conflict, in which both Moscow and Kiev are trying to legitimize their actions through complaints and calls for intervention before multilateral organizations. According to information from Europa Press, tensions continue to rise due to disagreements over the events that occurred and the interpretation of their causes and consequences in the context of the ongoing conflict between the two countries.
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