A “pure provocation” according to the Kremlin: the head of Ukrainian diplomacy, Andrii Sybiga, invited on Monday, September 16, the UN and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to visit the part of the Russian region of Kursk occupied by Ukraine. “Ukraine is ready to facilitate their work and to prove its respect for international humanitarian law” in this territory, Andrii Sybiga declared on X.
Russia, which occupies five Ukrainian regions and claims to annex them, has denounced the invitation and called on the UN and the Red Cross not to attend. Questioned by the press, Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov denounced it as “pure provocation”. “We hope that such provocative statements will not be taken into consideration by their recipients,” he added during his daily briefing.
Ukraine launched a major offensive in early August in the Russian region of Kursk, which borders Ukraine, where it claims to control more than 1,000 km2 and dozens of localities. It is trying to show that its forces there respect humanitarian law, do not mistreat Russian civilians and do not commit war crimes, unlike the Russian army accused of committing atrocities on Ukrainian territory. “From the first day of the Kursk operation, the Ukrainian defense forces have demonstrated full respect for international humanitarian law” and “ensured humanitarian aid and the safe passage of civilians,” assured Andrii Sybiga. The offensive, according to Moscow, led to the evacuation of about 150,000 civilians.
kyiv faces Russian counterattack
Ukrainian forces are now facing a counterattack by Russian troops in the Kursk region. The Russian army claimed on Monday the recapture of two small villages, Ouspenovka and Borki, after having already claimed on Thursday to have retaken ten localities from Ukrainian hands. The acting governor of the region has also ordered the evacuation of residents of villages located less than 15 kilometers from Ukraine for “security” reasons.
ICRC President Mirjana Spoljaric also arrived in Moscow on Monday for a long-planned visit. She is due to meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Tuesday.
His trip comes days after three Ukrainian ICRC employees were killed in a strike in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine. The victims were preparing to distribute wood briquettes and charcoal in a Ukrainian-controlled village near the frontline when their vehicles were hit by gunfire, according to the ICRC. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky blamed the attack on the Russian military, denouncing a “new war crime.”