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Blinken: We will keep Supporting Ukraine as it Defends itself; Blinken: We must Protect Sovereignty, Human Rights; Iran Rocked by Largest Anti-Government Protests in Years; U.N. Chief Warns Planet is Burning; Lavrov: Ukraine Dragging out Fighting to Weaken Russia; U.N. Security Council Meets on Ukraine War. Aired 11a-12p ET

Aired September 22, 2022 - 11:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[11:00:00]

ANTONY BLINKEN, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: This is right out of Crimea Playbook. As with Crimea it is imperative that every member of this council

and for that matter every member of the United Nation reject the sham referenda and unequivocally declare that all Ukrainian territory is and

will remain part of Ukraine. And no Russian claim to annex territory can take away Ukraine's right to defend its own land.

Putin's invasion is also distracting this council. In fact, the entire UN system from working on the serious issues that we all want to focus on,

like preventing a climate catastrophe aiding tens of millions of people on the brink of famine, fulfilling the 2030 agenda for sustainable

development, shoring up our interconnected health, security, all issues that make a tangible difference in the lives of the citizens that we are

here to represent, and that they are looking to us looking to us to deliver on.

The overwhelming majority of UN member states are committed to working together on these issues, and our action show that yet, while more than 100

countries have signed on to a roadmap to provide food aid to those who need it, and partners across Africa, Asia, the Americas and Europe are working

together to increase the resilience of global food systems.

Russia for months blocked the export of Ukrainian grain to the world until the United Nations and Turkey secured a deal to let the grain go. And

Russia continues to bomb and seize Ukrainian farms and silos. Line its wheat fields with landmines raising the cost of food for people everywhere.

And while governments around the world are teaming up with international organizations, with the private sector with philanthropies to end this

pandemic, and make sure that we're better prepared for the next one. Russia is spreading misinformation and disinformation, about W.H.O. approved

vaccines, fueling vaccine hesitancy that puts people in all our countries at greater risk.

Here's the reality. None of us chose this war not the Ukrainians, who knew the crushing toll that, would take not the United States, which warned that

it was coming and work to prevent it. Not the vast majority of countries at the United Nations.

And neither did our people are the people of virtually every UN member state who are feeling the worst consequences and greater food insecurity

and higher energy prices. Nor did the Russian mothers and fathers whose children are being sent off to fight and die in this war or the Russian

citizens who continue to risk their freedom to protest against it, including those who came out into the streets of Moscow after President

Putin announced his mobilization to chant, let our children live.

Indeed, it must be asked, how has this aggression against Ukraine by President Putin improved the lives or prospects of a single Russian

citizen? One man shows this war, one man can end it. Because if Russia stops fighting, the war ends if Ukraine stops fighting Ukraine ends.

That's why we will continue to support Ukraine as it defends itself and strengthen its hand to achieve a diplomatic solution on just terms at a

negotiating table. As President Zelenskyy has said repeatedly, diplomacy is the only way to end this war. But diplomacy cannot and must not be used as

a cudgel to impose on Ukraine a settlement that cuts against the UN Charter, or rewards Russia for violating it.

President Putin is making his choice. Now, it's up to all of our countries to make ours. Tell President Putin to stop the horror that he started. Tell

him to stop putting his interests above the interests of the rest of the world, including his own people.

Tell him to stop the basing this council and everything it stands for. We, the people of the United Nations determined that is how the preamble of the

UN Charter starts. Let's not forget that we the people still get to choose the fate of this institution and our world. The stakes are clear. The

choice is ours. Let's make the right choice for the world that we want and that our people so desperately deserve. Thank you.

ELENI GIOKOS, CNN HOST, CONNECT THE WORLD: Right, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken there addressing the UN Security Council meeting which is

about an hour and we are expected at least it is on the agenda that Sergei Lavrov will also be speaking right now. He is not in his seat.

We know there is another Russian official there and neither is the Russian Ambassador to the U.N. So we'll be monitoring that but he is on the agenda

and set to speak.

[11:05:00]

GIOKOS: I want to bring in our Senior UN Correspondent Richard Roth and U.S. Security Correspondent Kylie Atwood, both at the United Nations.

Richard, I want to start with you. And this is something that's been sort of I've been thinking about since we've seen Putin talking about nuclear

threats, and that he is not bluffing.

Antony Blinken says that Russia will call any attempt to take back territory and attack on Russian land, which of course then amplifies the

nuclear threat. Spoke a lot about annexation. I want you to take me through some of those vital points that he went through in his address.

RICHARD ROTH, CNN SENIOR U.N. CORRESPONDENT: Well, first of all, he said these nuclear - these reckless nuclear threats must stop immediately. He

said one man started this war, one man could stop it. He praised the support for Ukraine among U.N. member countries.

I still think what you pointed out is the most notable Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov ignoring the speech by the U.S. Secretary of State. This is

a senior foreign ministerial meeting the biggest yet since the war started. Other unidentified Russian officials sitting in the seat, not even the U.N.

Ambassador.

Now it's likely Lavrov will come in to deliver his remarks. This sets up the possibility that he will leave before Ukraine speaks. But for Antony

Blinken, he smoothly laid out exactly what are the issues that we've all heard of whether it's war crimes, whether it's a nuclear power plant, the

conscription of 300,000 paramilitary people and military forces by President Putin.

The list of crimes that the U.N. members allege keeps piling up. And he also noted the timing of President Putin's remarks yesterday, when

President Biden was speaking right in the middle of the U.N. General Assembly Week.

GIOKOS: You know, exactly, exactly that. It speaks volumes that Sergei Lavrov is not there. We know that there are the Chinese Representatives

speaking right now, I want to take a listen, let's cross live to the UNSC.

WANG YI, CHINESE MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS: --should play a constructive role to help de-escalate and create conditions and space for political

settlement. When it comes to the safety and security of nuclear facilities, there is no room for trial and error, accidents and risks must be

prevented. We support the IAEA in upholding a fair and objective position and playing a positive role.

Third, we must earnestly ease the humanitarian situation. It is vital to observe the international humanitarian law, prevent any attacks against

civilians, civilian facilities, and minimize civilian casualties. Investigations into violations of the international humanitarian law should

be objective and fair based on facts rather than an assumption of guilt and without being politicized.

The international community needs to support the U.N. humanitarian agencies in upholding neutrality and equity, and continue to provide assistance to

those affected in Ukraine and its neighboring countries.

Fourth, we must contain spillovers. Energy suppliers and consumers should work together to keep the global energy market stable. We support the

Secretary General in helping facilitate the exports of Russian and Ukrainian grains.

China on his part has put forth the International Food Security Cooperation Initiative and we welcome positive response from all countries. No country

should resort to arbitrary unilateral sanctions stimulus that developing countries pay the price.

Madam President, the Security Council as the core of the collective security mechanism should uphold the basic principles of objectivity and

impartiality on the issue of Ukraine, keep to the right direction of ceasefire and peace talks, and prioritize mediation tools in the pursuit of

settlement.

We need to pour positive energy for peace and reconciliation, and take constructive and responsible actions towards political settlement. The

Ukraine crisis is closely linked to the international situation. The more challenging the situation is, the more important it is to stay united and

seek cooperation.

We must work in coordination to uphold the UN centered international system, abide by the basic norms of international relations based on the

purposes and principles of the UN Charter, and accommodate the legitimate concerns of all parties. Abandon her feminism and power politics and

prevent any form of hot war or the so called new cold war.

[11:10:00]

YI: Let us commit to common comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security, seek common ground despite differences, accommodate and

understand each other and work tirelessly for restoring security in Europe and peace in the world. Thank you.

GIOKOS: All right, we just heard from Wang Yi, the Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs, addressing the UN Security Council. We've heard from

various speakers we've just heard from the U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

We also know that Sergei Lavrov, the Russian Foreign Minister is currently not in the room speaks volumes that he missed the speech by Antony Blinken.

We have Richard Roth standing by we've got Kylie Atwood as well as Nick Paton Walsh joining us.

Listening in to some of those statements Nick, I want to start with you. And it has been interesting, you know, we've discussed sort of China's

stance here with regards to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, taking a very diplomatic approach on certain things, but also saying accidents and risks

must be prevented.

But he also says, you know, spillover must be prevented. And he was talking about the energy crisis and the fact that the brunt of the economic pain is

being experienced by vulnerable nations. It was interesting that he took this line of messaging while the previous speakers were really focusing on

responsibility, accountability, and that the war should end very quickly. Give me a sense of what you thought.

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL SECURITY EDITOR: Look, I mean, I think China's position throughout this has been pragmatically to sort of see how

it went. And obviously, their world view is more in line with that of Vladimir Putin autocratic and against the power that the Western nations

have accrued for themselves over the past decades and their influence on the global order.

So it does appear though that in the past days, sensing that this war is going extremely badly for Moscow that China's public messaging slight and

often opaque because it has been over the past months has shifted a little bit towards how this needs to end. As indeed has India's as well more

publicly saying that this war simply needed to stop Narendra Modi in recent comments in Uzbekistan.

So interesting to see China shift slightly in that direction, it does not look like China is about to come to Moscow's rescue, in fact, possibly the

opposite. But it's also impossible to know what's going on behind closed doors and that Chinese Russia relationship.

China, the ascendant power and Russia, it seems because of its disastrous war of choice here, invading Ukraine slipping but stuck also too to hear

Antony Blinken, speaking there and running through the litany of crimes committed against the Ukrainian people since this began on February the

24th.

And I have to say, having been here for a lot of that time, I'd forgotten half of the things that we've been reporting on that have been quite so

horrific. The filtration camps set up for tens of thousands of Ukrainians taken back to Russia from occupied areas, we remember too you know, the

bombings of bomb shelters in Mariupol during that horrific siege too.

And so it was horrifying to have that list, run through again, and also too to be reminded of the impact that it's having across the world not only the

energy crisis of Russia's making, but also to the food crisis, Secretary Blinken pointing to how this Ukraine so vital to world food supplies now

has agricultural fields, indeed mined and the impact that's having across the world on food prices on starvation.

And more broadly as well, Secretary Blinken reminding people that we face regardless of the threats of nuclear war that Putin is happy to brandish at

the moment, a global climate crisis from which this war is an extraordinary distraction from that urgent work. So reminder, frankly, of how this

imperils so many of our daily lives and how it's impacted so many of us but also to the utter horrors inflicted on the nation of Ukraine since

February.

GIOKOS: Yes, the spillover effect has been absolutely enormous. Kylie Atwood, I want to bring you in here. You know, and basically what Nick was

saying that part of what Antony Blinken reiterated that Putin has doubled down. He's chosen to escalate things. And then Antony Blinken says that

this is a risk to everyone and everyone should be paying attention the message perhaps too many of the countries that have chosen to sit on the

sidelines?

KYLIE ATWOOD, CNN U.S. SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I mean, he was very clear in saying that this has continued on because it's President Putin's

decision, one man's decision to continue this war. And I think striking were his words.

And he said, If Russia stops fighting, this war will end if Ukraine stops fighting essentially, that is the end of Ukraine. So he reiterated the fact

that listen the Biden Administration U.S. and Europeans are advocates for diplomacy to end this.

[11:15:00]

ATWOOD: But he also was very clear in saying they are not advocates for any diplomacy that would lead to the undermining of the UN Charter or reward

Russia for its aggressions here. And he did call on other nations to come out and very explicitly speak against what has been this nuclear saber

rattling from the Russians.

We have seen that again, in just recent days, and also to double down on supporting the need for accountability. He spoke about going into the

country just last month on his own, and seeing those who are collecting the evidence of the crimes that are being committed against the Ukrainian

people painting some very vivid images there of the horrific atrocities that are being carried out.

But it's very clear at the end of these remarks, I mean, this meeting is still ongoing. But it doesn't seem like the ball has been moved in such

that you have the Secretary of State still calling for the same things support for Ukraine, the need for diplomacy but not saying that that is

very likely right now.

And then on the other hand, you have the fact that the Russian Foreign Minister still isn't in the room there. Of course, we will watch to see

when or if he arrives.

GIOKOS: A very good point there. Look thank you to all of you for your insights! As you say this meeting is still ongoing keeping a close watch,

we're waiting to hear from Sergei Lavrov, as well as the Ukrainian Ambassador. Richard Roth, Nick Paton Walsh and Kylie Atwood, thank you so

very much for bringing us up to speed on the latest out of the United Nations.

Alright, moving on they're telling lies that's the accusation against Iranian authorities as protests rage over a young woman's death in police

custody, a live report just ahead. And we'll get some perspective from an Iranian Journalist who was detained in 2014 along with her husband, Yeganeh

Rezaian, stay with CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GIOKOS: As protests intensify, the government is cracking down with riot police tear gas and blocking the internet and mobile networks in many

places

[11:20:00]

GIOKOS: Amnesty International says at least eight people have been killed. This time women are making their voices heard burning headscarves, cutting

off their hair and demanding more rights in the Islamic nation. And now Mahsa Amini's family is speaking out. CNN's Jomana Karadsheh is in Istanbul

Turkey with the details on that story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The world knows her as Mahsa; to her family she was the kind of shy Zhina, that's her Kurdish

name. Her cousin in Norway sharing these family photos with CNN, of happier times from their childhood in Iran.

DIAKO AILI, MAHSA AMINI'S COUSIN: She was very, very happy girl living in a not so good country, with dreams that I don't maybe know about but very

respectful and very kind, with harder, took care of her mother and brother.

KARADSHEH (voice over): Amini's death after being taken into the custody of the morality police last week has sparked unprecedented protests. Calls for

accountability for her death have turned into Christ for freedoms this generation of Iranians has never known. With women at the forefront of the

protests, burning the headscarf they've been forced to wear for decades.

AILI: It makes me sad and happy in one way because it's sad that someone's life has to go away for these things to start. And I know that when they

demonstrate in Iran, it's not like if we demonstrate in America or in Norway or Sweden. They're risking their lives.

KARADSHEH (voice over): Amini's families demanding justice. They don't trust the government's investigation. They want the truth they accuse

authorities have covering up. Last week police released this edited CCTV video.

They say it shows Amini the so called Re-Education Center where you can see her collapsing. Police say she was taken because she didn't abide by their

strict Islamic dress code.

They claim the 22 year old appeared unwell, had a heart attack and collapsed into a coma. She died in hospital three days later. Family

members say they saw her beaten up by the morality police as she was dragged away. It was the last time they saw her awake. They say doctors

told them she had severe head injuries, swollen limbs and had a heart attack.

AILI: She had no heart disease or anything. And it was damaged to her head like she was bleeding out of air.

KARADSHEH (voice over): Violent acts of repression by this notorious force known as the morality police have been on the rise according to the UN.

This video from an activist group purports to show those abuses CNN can independently verify the circumstances of this video or when it was filmed.

The fury on Iran streets has been years in the making, Amini's death appears to have been the final straw.

AILI: I want the world to know that she was a good person. Her life then and for nothing hoped is going to start something to maybe towards to get a

better Iran more free Iran. I'm going to start crying.

KARADSHEH (voice over): Diako's overcome with emotions, hopes for the homeland he hasn't seen in more than 10 years and the pain of a family

grieving their beloved Zhina.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GIOKOS: Well, our next guest brings a unique perspective to the story; Journalist Yeganeh Rezaian who was born in Iran was detained there in 2014

along with her husband. Washington Post journalist Jason resigned famously spent more than a year and he runs most notorious prison. Yeganeh, thank

you very much for joining us!

I wonder what goes through your mind how you feel when you see these images of defiance by women burning their hijabs, burning their headscarves

cutting across various age groups, men and women taking to the streets.

YEGANEH REZAIAN, JOURNALIST: Hi, Eleni. Thanks for having me. There's a lot of emotion going on, not just for me, but I believe for all Iranian women,

both inside and outside the country, but it ranges differently when you are outside the country.

I always wish to be there and participate and support my Iranian sisters in their right for righteous demand, but unfortunately, I am not there so I

have to support them differently.

GIOKOS: You know Mahsa Amini's cousin said that you know you hope that she didn't die for nothing that this might be the start of something for a

better and free Iran.

[11:25:00]

GIOKOS: Do you believe that the country is galvanized through her death, where we see protests action happening across the country, but it seems

decentralized, that people are galvanized for a change? Or do you think that the aggressive response by security forces by you know, cutting back

on access to internet and various other methods of communication is going to quell this movement?

REZAIAN: It's very hard to say one way or the other as this is the third or fourth protests in the past few years, there were very big street protests

in 2019 that was heavily suppressed. And many people were shot, dead and killed and injured.

So unfortunately, people do not if cutting internet and having access to social media, and the support from outside the country, which is what they

really need, from the Iranian communities outside the country is what keeps people going.

And once that's taken, it is very hard for them to organize and assemble. So it's hard to say one way or the other. It is also really hard to stay in

the street and face live ammunition and bullets hitting you and your loved one.

So I understand that these are extreme situations people are not born and raised to face live ammunition. This is really extreme and brutal and

should be condemned by the international community.

GIOKOS: And there's so much at stake you know, and you see that when you see the riot police coming through. And you see what Ebrahim Raisi's

response has been at the United Nations saying that you know, the West is hypocritical and then you wonder what's to come for these protesters.

But I want to talk about the fear that might be experienced in Iran right now where you seeing defiance it's of incredible proportions here with a

hijab which has basically been at the centerpiece of so many of the videos that are you know, upsetting to watch right because of the morality

police's enforcement of the strict dress codes for women.

REZAIAN: Right. The fear is real for the people, but let's is honest; the fear is also very real for the regime. They see this young Iranians very

strong headed very powerful, very well educated and connected to the outside world and, and hungry to be heard and listened to. So it's, it's a

very extreme situation.

And I think the least the regime can do is choose that young Iranians and their different generations of parents to stay out to have peaceful

demonstrations and listen to them.

And once for all, give them this right of choice especially to put in truth the clothing is the most basic choice anyone can have. So the least

government can do in their own fear.

GIOKOS: Yeganeh Rezaian, thank you very much for joining us today and giving us a glimpse of what Iranians might be facing right now. Thank you

so much for your time.

REZAIAN: Thank you for having me.

GIOKOS: Right and still ahead climate has been at the forefront of the agenda at the UN General Assembly, I'll be speaking to one of the main

policymakers for that file.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:30:00]

GIOKOS: Right. As world leaders, of course are meeting at the UN Security Council, we are monitoring those developments right now, as well.

Importantly, we've heard from Anthony Blinken.

We've also heard from other members of the Security Council, we are expecting to hear from the Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, shortly.

These are live images coming through from the United Nations and we will bring you more on that in just a moment.

All right, but moving on as world leaders gather in New York, against the backdrop of global crises like the war in Ukraine, there's no doubt that

the looming climate catastrophe has of course been felt across almost every corner of the planet, the UN Secretary General is sounding the loudest

alarm on the first day. Let's listen in.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANTONIO GUTERRES, U.N. SECRETARY-GENERAL: Let's have no illusions. We are in rough seas. A winter of global discontent is on the horizon. A cost of

living crisis is raging trust is crumbling, inequalities are exploding and our planet is burning.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GIOKOS: All right, we're going to take you live to the UN Security Council meeting underway. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is speaking right

now.

SERGEY LAVROV, RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTER: This is precisely this term impunity reflects what has been going on in our country since 2014. The

National radical forces open Russophobes and neo-Nazis came to power then as a result of an armed coup with direct support of Western countries.

And right after that, they took the path of lawlessness and totally ignoring main rights and freedoms the right to life, right of expression

right of access to information, right of conscience, the right to use their native language.

And to date, the crimes on the Maidan in February 2014 remain unpunished. Those who perpetrated the horrific tragedy in Odessa on the second of May

of 2014 have not been found or punished at the time.

At the house of labor unions dozens were burned alive and died in the same categories of political murders of Alyssa Busan - public Sherman and other

public figures and journalists.

In spite of that, there's an attempt today to impose on us a completely different narrative about Russian aggression as the origin of the tragedy.

This ignores the fact that for over eight years the Ukrainian army and fighters from the nationalist formations killed and continue to kill

inhabitants of Donbas with impunity simply because they refuse to recognize the result of the - Kyiv.

They decided to uphold their rights which are guaranteed by the Ukrainian constitution, including the right to freely use Russian their mother

tongue. Just recall how in 2015 then Prime Minister Mr. Yatsenyuk declared that. In Donbas, nonhumans live in Donbas, in-humans.

[11:35:00]

LAVROV: And the current president, Mr. Zelenskyy did not go very far from that that in interview last September, when he was asked what he thought

about the people live in Donbas, he said, well, you know there are people and sometimes there are species, their species there, their beings.

So this seems to be a very common reference of the Ukrainian authorities, they declared all those who don't agree they're as terrorists. And for

eight years a Kyiv regime has been conducted - has been conducting a military operation against peaceful civilians, by the way.

In Ukraine for many years now total mobilization of all adult population, including women is being conducted in order to recruit them into the ranks

of nationalist battalions. Then the armed forces now by cynically declaring its commitment to the Minsk agreement to Kyiv's authorities overtly

sabotage their implementation.

There was a financial transport blockade of Donbas. People were denied, their pensions, their subsidies, their access to education, they were

denied their basic civil rights, including those that are guaranteed by the International pacts of 1966.

And then Mr. Zelenskyy having been tired of pretending stated that this could it was impossible to implement the Minsk agreement. In fact, Mr.

Poroshenko, just a couple of months ago proudly stated that the Minsk agreements which he signed, neither him or no one else in the Ukraine had

any intention of implementing these that these agreements were simply needed to win time in order to obtain weapons from the west for the war

against Russia.

And the Secretary of the National Security and Defense Counsel, Mr. Danilov has said something very similar. Of course, the Kyiv regime owes its

impunity to its western sponsors, first of all, Germany and France, but also the United States. Instead of pushing the Kyiv authorities to

implement the Minsk agreement, Berlin and Paris and Washington cynically ignored the growing threats of Kyiv to resolve the problem of Donbas by

force the so called Plan B.

Over the past few years, the Kyiv regime has conducted a frontal assault on the Russian language. It brazenly trampled on the rights of Russian and

Russian speaking people in Ukraine.

The scandalous language laws were enacted on education in 2016 un-shrink the role of Ukrainian language as a state language in 2019. On the

comprehensive general secondary education in 2020, on native peoples of Ukraine in 2021, all these laws are aimed at ousting the Russian language,

in essence is complete ban.

At the same time, laws were adopted that promoted the theory and practice of Nazism. The timid recommendations of the Venetian commission of the

Council of Europe and the Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights, the OSC High Commissioner on minorities on amending the language

legislation were simply ignored by Kyiv.

And these multilateral structures at the same time didn't find the courage or they were not allowed to convince the Kyiv authorities to fulfill their

obligations they undertook in the area of human rights.

The Ministry of Education of Ukraine has excluded Russian and Russian literature from the school curriculum. Books are being destroyed just as in

Nazi Germany and ethnic Russians are being subjected to intolerance.

And today the officials from Ukraine have no longer even tried to hide their anti-rational feelings calling on the killing of Russians. Just a few

examples Mr. Vrublevskiy, the Ukrainian Ambassador to Kazakhstan who is now in Kyiv just a month ago declared in an interview and I quote, "We're

trying to kill the Russians as much Russians as possible. The more we kill today, the fewer our children will need to kill.

And of course, did anyone notice this call? Just earlier this April, the Mayor of Dnipro, Filatov said something similar. At the time of Cold

Blooded fury has come. Now we have a full moral right to calmly and with a clear mind to kill these nonhumans around the world for as long as possible

and as many as possible".

[11:40:00]

LAVROV: On the 13th of September this year, just recently, Mr. Danilov stated, and I quote "In towns where the Ukrainian armed forces enter,

people will undergo Ukrainization without taking into account their views. This will apply not only to Russians, but representatives of other

nationalities.

And if you want to study any other language, such as Romanian Polish --, please go ahead but not to be financed by our state, you can do it at your

own expense; you can improve your educational level at your own expense".

Is there any need to say that all these Russophobic statements have become have remained unpunished? And we're not even talking about Russophobe,

we're here. These individuals spoke about representatives of other ethnic groups that live in Ukraine.

And of course, the ultimate was the interview with Mr. Zelenskyy on the fifth of August, who suggested to everyone who feels that they're Russian

for the good of their children and grandchildren to get the hell out and to go to Russia.

And I think the decisions that have been adopted by a whole range of regions of Ukraine about conducting referendums are the result of his

advice and under the guise of combating Russian aggression and separatism.

Ukraine is strengthening its persecution of dissidents and marched ban on the activity of 11 political parties under the pretext of their links to

Russia. Opposition Russian language television channels have been closed for any attempt to provide an alternative view to the official view.

Journalists are persecuted. Madame - A well-known public official, who has often spoken at the UN and the OBC, is in the prison of the security

services.

We have no doubt that Ukraine has become a completely totalitarian Nazi like state where the norms of international humanitarian law are trampled

on. There's no surprise that the armed forces and the National battalions are using the tactic of terrorists using peaceful civilians as human

shields.

And here what's particularly cynical is the position of states that are pumping Ukraine full of weapons training their soldiers. That goal is

obvious, they're clearly stating it to drag out the fighting as long as possible in spite of the victims and destruction in order to wear down and

weaken Russia.

That policy means the direct involvement of the West in the conflict and makes them a party to the conflict. And tension of fomenting by this of

this conflict by the collective West remains in pain.

Unpunished of course, you will punish yourself, so we have no illusions that today, the Armed Forces of Russia are being and the malicious of

Luhansk and Donetsk are being opposed not only by the neo-Nazi formations at the Kyiv regime but the military machine of the collective West.

And in real time, the regime of real time using modern systems of weapons, ships, satellites, drones, NATO is providing intelligence to the Ukrainian

Armed Forces and stating that convincing them that Russia should be defeated on the field of battle.

Official representatives of the European Union have stated this, and the Russians shouldn't be punished by having any sovereignty stripped from it.

This isn't even latent racism, but overt racist.

Against the backdrop of mass shelling of towns and cities of Donbas, Mr. Zelenskyy is overjoyed at the effectiveness of western weapons. Here's a

quote. "At last, we feel how powerfully Western artillery has begun to operate, the weapons that we've received from our Western partners. Their

accuracy is exactly what we need cynically stated.

At the same time, no, there were no military or strategic targets located in the towns that were shelled. The only peaceful citizens of Donbas are

suffering. Since the end of July, the armed forces are lobbing mortar rounds to the center of Donetsk and its environs that are banned; they're

lobbing banned anti-personnel rounds called Lobe or blade. This violates a convention 1997 on the ban on anti-personnel mines ratified by Ukraine as

well as the second protocol the Geneva Convention on conventional weapons.

[11:45:00]

LAVROV: Such outrageous remain unpunished because the United States and their allies with the connivance of International Human Rights Institute

have been covering up the crimes of the Kyiv regime, based on the policy of Zelenskyy might be a bastard but he's our bastard.

The inconvenient truth that darkens the image of Ukraine as the victim of Russian aggression is carefully hushed up and sometimes deleted. Even

Western Human Rights Organization Amnesty International, which is difficult to accuse of sympathies to Russia has been severely criticized and caught

an agent of the Kremlin.

Simply because in its report is confirmed facts about the fact that Kyiv places heavy weapons at civilian facilities, also the criminal shelling of

the Zaporizhzhia - Nuclear Power Plant remain unpunished.

Even though from the first of September, representatives of the IAEA have been present there. And it's very; it's not very difficult to establish

who's guilty for the shelling. And I just want to recall that the visit of the IAEA mission to this power plant was artificially delayed.

Even though already on the third of June, all details were agreed and the mission could have gone to the power plant already. And then it's a very

unpleasant situation where the desert department, security of the UN, refused to give authorization to the specific --.

And then this was not a very honest, honest action. It simply delayed the visit to the Zaporizhzhia and power plant by two months, even by three

months, practically three months.

We're very also concerned about the fate of Russian soldiers who were taking the prisoners there are very many examples of torture, including

violation of international humanitarian law.

I'm sure that all those who are interested in what actually happened saw a video of the torture atrocities by a Ukrainian neo-Nazis against Russian

soldiers who were thrown to the ground with their hands tied and were shot in the head.

Did anyone here comment on this crime at all? We have many, many witnesses of these criminal activities by the Kyiv regime that has been happening

since 2014. Russian law enforcement bodies are cooperating with their colleagues from Donetsk and Luhansk. Republics are investigating these

thoroughly.

Over 220 individuals there have been considered have been found to be complicit including the high command of the Ukrainian Armed Forces,

commanders of units who were shelled and who shelled the civilian population.

Also, there were cases against the mercenaries from citizens of UK, Canada, United States, Netherlands, et cetera. I can assure you that all

perpetrators and dependently of their nationality will be held accountable.

I also want to draw your attention to the following. Russian and Ukrainian negotiators at the end of March practically reached an agreement on the

parameter - an agreement proposed by Kyiv.

Just a couple of days later, the tragedy in Bucha occurred the fact that it was staged leaves no doubt in anyone's mind. And I want to draw your

attention colleagues and Western colleagues' right after that staged event, immediately, cried outrage and introduced a new package of sanctions

spuriously accusing us of killing innocent civilians.

Since then, when that propaganda operation was conducted, no one has mentioned Bucha other than us. And once again in the presence of the

Secretary General and Ministers, I would address you, please demand the Ukrainian authorities to make a simple step take a simple step to publish

information by those individuals whose bodies were shown in Bucha.

I've been asking this for the past month, Secretary General. Please use your authority for this.

[11:50:00]

LAVROV: It will be very useful to get to the bottom of this episode. And of course, we also notice that increased activity of international justice

with regard to Ukraine is supposedly efforts to investigate the crimes committed in Ukraine that are ascribed to Russian authorities.

Oh, this is simply a very propaganda operation. I just want to recall that neither the CUDATHON 2014, or tragedy in Odessa, or the shelling of Donetsk

or any other crimes have led to any reaction from International Criminal Court.

And by the way, this international criminal court with - there are some 3000 references sent to the International Criminal Court against crimes

committed against the inhabitants of ICC and there has been no reaction.

And it seems that the ICC has now received instructions to step up its activity. We have no confidence in the work of this body for the past

eight, for eight months we were waiting for, for steps to be taken against impunity in Ukraine.

And we don't expect anything more from this institution or a whole range of other international institutions. Everything I've said today simply

confirms that the decision to conduct the special military operation was inevitable.

We have said this more than once we've provided a huge number of facts which show how Ukraine prepared to play the role of anti-Russia as a

staging ground to create the --against Russian security. And I can assure you that we will never accept this. Thank you very much.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I thank His Excellency Mr. Lavrov for his statement. I give a thought to His Excellency Mr. James Cleverly, Secretary of State for

Foreign Commerce, Development Affairs of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

JAMES CLEVERLY, BRITISH FOREIGN SECRETARY: Madam President, Mr. Secretary, Mr. Secretary General, Mr. Khan, thank you. 77 years ago, UN members agreed

solemn principles in the UN Charter, vital for international peace and security.

They undertook to refrain from the threat or the use of force against the territorial integrity or the political independence of any state. Yet,

seven months ago, President Putin invaded Ukraine illegally and without justification.

He ignored the resounding pleas for peace that I heard in this council on the 17th of February. Since then, Ukrainian spirit of defense and defiance

in the protection of their country continues to inspire free peoples and nations.

Every day, the devastating consequences of Russia's invasion become clearer. UN agencies have confirmed more than 14,000 civilian casualties so

far, and the actual total is likely to be much higher.

More than 17 million Ukrainians in humanitarian need 7 million displaced within Ukraine and more than 7 million Ukrainian refugees in Europe. We see

the mounting evidence of Russian atrocities against civilians, including indiscriminate shelling, and targeted attacks on over 200 medical

facilities and 40 educational institutions and horrific acts of sexual violence.

We see from the reports of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, that in parts of Ukraine currently under Russian control, civilians

are subjected to torture, arbitrary detention and forced deportation to Russia.

And we have seen more grisly discoveries in Islam. And it's not just Ukrainians, who are the victims. President Putin's war has spread hardship

and food insecurity across the globe, plunging millions of the worlds most vulnerable into hunger and famine. And once again as we've seen here today

Russia has sought to deny responsibility.

[11:55:00]

CLEVERLY: It has tried to lay the blame on those who have rightly imposed sanctions on President Putin's regime in response to his illegal actions.

Let us be clear, we are not sanctioning food.

It is Russia's actions that are preventing food and fertilizer getting to developing countries. It is Russia's tactics and bombs that are to blame

for destroying Ukraine's farms, infrastructure and delaying its exports.

I sat here in February, listening to the Russian representative, assuring this council that Russia had no intention of invading its neighbor. We now

know that was a lie. And today, I have listened to further installments of Russia's catalogs of distortions, dishonesty, and disinformation.

He has left the chamber. I'm not surprised. I don't think Mr. Lavrov wants to hear the collective condemnation of this council. But we saw through him

then, and we saw through him again, today.

We have information, which means that we know that Russia is about to hold sham referenda on sovereign Ukrainian territory with no basis in law under

the threat of violence, after mass displacements of people in areas that voted overwhelmingly for Ukrainian independence.

We know what Vladimir Putin is doing. He is planning to fabricate the outcome of those referenda. He is planning to use that to annex sovereign

Ukrainian territory. And he is planning to use it as a further pretext to escalate his aggression. That is what he plans to do.

And we call on all countries to reject the shroud and to refuse to recognize any results. We are used to seeing Russian lies and distortions.

But let us listen to the testimony of Ukrainians who tell us the truth, who tell us the reality, or President Putin's war.

Doctor - her husband, Oley, and their 22 year old son, Dimitri, were abducted by Russian forces from their home in hostomile near Bucha in

March.

Russian soldiers shot Oley twice in the legs before they were all blindfolded and bundled into an armored personnel carrier. And I want you

to hear on her story, in her own words. And I quote, "First, they took us to a bombed out house, the Russian soldiers kept saying they were going to

kill us. My husband was left for hours lying on the floor, in the pool of his blood.

I don't know why, we've done nothing wrong. Then they took my son away from us. I don't know where, I don't know if we will ever see him again. I just

want my boy back".

Well, - story, and those of many others tell us the truth, the real truth. This is a war of annexation, a war of conquest, to which President Putin

now wants to send even more of Russia's young men and women making peace even less likely.

Mr. Putin must understand the world is watching and we will not give up. As members of the Security Council, we must unequivocally reject Russia's

attempts to annex Ukrainian territory.

We must make clear to President Putin that his attack on the Ukrainian people must stop that there can be no impunity for those perpetrating

atrocities. And that he must withdraw from Ukraine and restore regional and global stability.

[12:00:00]

END