Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov accused the UN of ignoring “excesses” committed by Ukrainian forces during their invasion of Russia’s Kursk region last month, Reuters reported on Wednesday.
In an interview with the Russian news agency TASS, published during the UN General Assembly in New York, Lavrov claimed that Ukrainian “terrorist groups” used Western weapons to indiscriminately target civilian infrastructure in Kursk.
“Every day, homes, social facilities, and peaceful citizens trying to move to safer areas are being bombed there,” Lavrov told TASS. He also criticized the lack of response from the UN, including from Secretary-General António Guterres.
Ukraine and human rights organizations accuse Russia of indiscriminate attacks on civilians since Moscow launched a full-scale invasion in February 2022. Kyiv maintains that it is defending itself from an imperialist war aimed at destroying its national identity.
In early August, Ukrainian forces crossed the border into Russia’s Kursk region, capturing large swathes of land and approximately 100 settlements. However, in recent weeks, the Russian military claimed it had retaken some of these towns and villages.
Russia, which previously signaled willingness to negotiate if Kyiv withdrew from four illegally annexed Ukrainian regions, now insists that no talks can occur while Ukrainian forces remain in Kursk.
In his comments to TASS, Lavrov also warned Eastern European countries, now part of NATO and the EU, that Western leaders hold them in disdain and distrust. “They don’t even want to let them near anything significant,” Lavrov added.
He further noted that an increasing number of countries are seeking to distance themselves from the US dollar as a global currency, suggesting that trust in the dollar is declining.
