PRESS RELEASE : Russia must not be allowed to operate with impunity – UK statement to the OSCE [July 2024]

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 17 July 2024.

UK military advisor, Nicholas Aucott, says Russia’s invasion poses a profound challenge to the international order on which our prosperity and security depends.

Thank you, Mr Chair. Almost two and half years on, Russia’s illegal war of aggression continues unabated, posing a profound challenge to the international order on which our prosperity and security depends.

The outcome of this war matters to every member of this Forum. Russia likes to advance its narrative of disinformation advocating a ‘multipolar world’, but in reality, this is nothing more than a world where Russia is free to challenge its neighbours’ sovereignty and disregard the very security architecture we are here to preserve.

Russia must not be allowed to operate with impunity, violating the borders of other sovereign countries, dictating to other sovereign nations which security arrangements it may or may not make. It is imperative that Ukraine is successful in repelling Russia’s invasion because the consequences of a Russian victory for Ukraine and the wider region are too dire to contemplate. But Ukraine has shown, with our support, that they can win this war and restore sovereignty over their internationally recognised borders.

The reality is that this war has been a military and political disaster for Russia. To date, more than half a million Russian military personnel have been killed or wounded during Russia’s war.  The average daily number of Russian casualties (killed and wounded) in May was 1,200 per day. It is estimated that 70,000 Russian soldiers have been killed or wounded in the last 60 days alone. The Russian people are being forced to pay the price for Russia’s President’s miscalculation – every Kinzhal missile costs USD 7 million, as much as 130 Russian teachers’ annual salaries. With Defence now accounting for up to 30 per cent of Russia’s Federal government spending and 6 per cent of its GDP, this war is taking its toll on Russia.

In framing its argument, Russia seeks to deflect from the reality that there is one aggressor in this war: Russia itself. The policies in support of Ukraine are not inherently anti-Russian, nor do they pose an existential threat to Russia, as the Russian narrative would have us believe. They simply require that Russia ends hostilities towards Ukraine and withdraws from Ukraine’s internationally recognised borders.

In the face of Russia’s disregard for international law, the United Kingdom will continue to support Ukraine. We do this recognising that if Ukraine’s borders are not secure, no one’s borders can be secure. That is why the United Kingdom has committed, this year, to sending the UK’s single largest package of equipment to Ukraine, including air-defence and long-range missiles, vehicles, and ammunition.

This is a demonstration of the United Kingdom’s long-term commitment to Ukraine and to European security more broadly.

In closing, Mr Chair, I reiterate that Russia’s invasion poses a profound challenge to the international order on which our prosperity and security depends. This should matter to every country, no matter where they are in the world. Ukraine’s security is inextricably linked to all of us, and the United Kingdom will maintain the resolve and provide the ability to ensure that Ukraine wins. Thank you.