ONE month into Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the Ukrainian government says 115 children have been killed, while 140 others sustained injuries from Russian attacks.
Colonel Adrii Vasyliev, Defence Attaché to the Embassy of Ukraine in Abuja disclosed this at a press briefing on Thursday.
The Ukrainian envoy accused Russia of committing war crimes by killing civilians.
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“By killing civilians Russia continues to commit crimes against humanity,” he said.
“Everyday thousands of people are leaving the territory of Ukraine with the numbers mostly comprising women and children.”
Vasyliev claimed that the reasons given by Putin for the invasion, including Nazism, fascism and Russo-phobia, were all propaganda advanced by Russia to justify “crimes against humanity in Ukraine”.
He added, “Russia was claiming that the Russian speaking population in Ukraine was discriminated against.
“All the people who speak Russian in Ukraine have never been discriminated against.
“Moscow keeps using the narrative of Nazism and fascism against Ukraine simply to persuade the Russians to take arms to fight Ukrainians.
“I hope you understand that it is has been over 100 years since there was Nazism and Fascism.
“Also Russia’s propagandists are spreading false information that Russia is fighting against NATO. That it is trying to save Ukraine.”
According to the colonel, Russia has lost some of its military units and equipment in the ongoing conflict.
“Moscow is trying to engage the army of Belarus into this war as well as citizens of other countries which support Russia,” he said.
“And the loses among Russian military service men have continued to increase every day.”
Data released by the Government Office for Coordination of European and Euro-Atlantic Integration shows the number of damage suffered by the Russian military.
While commenting on two nuclear power plant – Chornobyl and Zaporizhzhia – that are currently under the control of Russia, the envoy stated that Moscow was planning to cause a major “nuclear catastrophe” that it would blame on the Ukrainian government.
“Everybody knows that there is no chemical weapons in Ukraine,” he said. “On the other hand Russia has chemical weapons and Russia has used this chemical weapon in Syria.”
March 24 is exactly one month since Russia invaded Ukraine and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy had used the occasion to call on people around the world to protest against the war, according to The Guardian.
“Come to your squares, your streets. Make yourselves visible and heard. Say that people matter. Freedom matters. Peace matters. Ukraine matters,” he said.