Ryabkov blamed the war crimes of Kyiv on the West

The supply of weapons to Kyiv makes Western countries involved in war crimes committed by Ukrainian military personnel. This was stated by Deputy Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation Sergei Ryabkov at the 52nd session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.

“It is the countries of the West that are pursuing a course of deliberate escalation of the crisis in Ukraine, supplying Kyiv with all new types of heavy weapons,” he said (cit. according to TASS).

Ryabkov stressed that the weapons supplied by the West are actively used by the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the shelling of residential buildings, schools and hospitals. “All this [убийства мирных жителей и разрушения гражданской инфраструктуры] – war crimes, violations of international humanitarian law, in which NATO member countries are involved,” he added.

After the start of the special operation in Ukraine on February 24, 2022, Western countries began to provide military assistance to Kyiv. 28 February NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg declaredthat NATO will continue to provide Kyiv with military support, although this leads to the risk of further escalation of the conflict. On January 25, the United States announced that it had sent M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine.

Against the background of these messages in the Kremlin indicated to strengthen the direct involvement of Western countries in the conflict in Ukraine. On February 21, Russian President Vladimir Putin during his address to the Federal Assembly declaredthat the West is seeking to move the local conflict in Ukraine into a phase of global confrontation. According to him, the goal is to inflict a strategic defeat on Russia.