Zakharova: Western media spread lies and ignore Kiev’s crimes in Donbass

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova reiterated that Western media spread lies about Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine and ignored Kiev’s crimes in Donbass.

“The Nazi regime in Kiev has been committing the most heinous crimes in Donbass for the past eight years, and the West ignores these crimes, falsifies facts and spreads lies about the Russian operation,” Zakharova said during a press conference in Moscow today.

Zakharova noted that what was reported by the American media about the allegations of a Russian raid on the theater building in Mariupol is a “pure lie”, as the Ukrainian extremists were the ones who detonated it. There are many fake videos and photos that were prepared by the Kiev authorities and were edited in the NATO countries to accuse Russia. But the truth will emerge and those who committed the crimes will be punished.

On the United States’ support for a secret biological military program in Ukraine, Zakharova pointed out that Moscow calls on Kiev and Washington to provide  information about biological weapons and military activity in laboratories on Ukrainian territories, noting that the insistence on silence, the veiling of facts and the unwillingness to talk about this in the forums of international organizations is a matter of concern.

Zakharova noted that Moscow does not rule out the possibility of using the mechanisms of Articles 5 and 6 of the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development and Production of Biological Weapons, according to which the states parties must consult with each other in solving issues related to the objectives of the Convention and the implementation of its provisions and cooperate in conducting any investigations into possible violations.

With regard to the Russian-Ukrainian negotiations, Zakharova indicated that the negotiations are continuing via video, and military, humanitarian and political issues are being discussed. Russia’s demands are very clear as it wants to remove Nazism from Ukraine, reduce its armament and turn it into a neutral state.

Zakharova pointed out that the United Nations Secretariat takes a disturbingly biased position on the events in Ukraine. She said, “We call on Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and his subordinates to return to strict adherence to the status of international civil working staff, which implies an equal position aimed at creating opportunities for dialogue and cooperation.”

Inas Abdulkareem