PRESS RELEASE : Russia’s war of choice has resulted in unacceptable Ukrainian civilian deaths – UK statement to the OSCE [December 2023]

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 14 December 2023.

Ambassador Neil Holland notes Russia’s continued, remorseless war of aggression against Ukraine and emphasises the UK’s unwavering support for Ukraine.

Thank you, Mr Chair. As we look forward to the end of 2023 and the holiday season, the people of Ukraine are marking over 650 days since Russia’s illegal full-scale invasion.

During this year, Ukraine’s critical national infrastructure has been attacked remorselessly by Russia, resulting in unacceptable civilian deaths and injuries. The UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) figures show over 27,000 civilian casualties since the invasion: 9,701 killed and 17,748 injured. In addition, reports detail countless horrific human rights violations, including conflict related sexual violence against women and girls, not to mention against civilian detainees and prisoners of war, including a rise in cases against males.

And this is not just a violation of human rights on a massive scale. Russia’s aggression has had a wide impact across all three dimensions, as we will no doubt hear shortly from the three Chairs.

The destruction of the Kakhovka dam was an environmental catastrophe. And the damage has not been restricted to just Ukraine: Russia’s war of choice has had severe environmental impacts that stretch beyond Ukraine’s sovereign borders, affecting other participating States in the OSCE region. Furthermore, Russia’s withdrawal from Black Sea Grain Initiative has impacted the global stability of food supply.

The UK has been, and is proud to support Ukraine, through the OSCE, bilaterally and through other multilateral channels:

• This year the Ukraine Recovery Conference raised more than $60 billion for reconstruction and post-conflict recovery. We look forward to Germany’s 2024 conference.
• The UK has contributed £4.1 billion in fiscal support for Ukraine, and over £640 million in bilateral assistance. The UK’s total military, humanitarian and economic support for Ukraine now amounts to £9.3 billion. We know we are in good company, with friends and allies around this table also giving significant support.
• We have also moved quickly to ensure that those who have fled persecution in Ukraine can find safety in the UK through the Ukraine Family Scheme and Homes for Ukraine – with 247,000 visas now issued in total in the UK

And we  continue to hold Russia to account in the OSCE for its actions:

• Every week, we come to this forum to state for the record our condemnation of Russia’s actions and counter misinformation.  And we were glad that the Ministerial Council showed that a vast majority of us condemn Russia’s actions.
• This year’s Moscow Mechanism Report – the third concerning Russian actions since February 2022 – on the deportation or transfer of children, further exposed the harrowing experience of Ukrainian children and families, at the hands of Russian leadership.
• And while we regret that the full-scale conferences were not able to take place, the Chair’s ASRC in the summer and the Warsaw Human Dimension Conference in October enabled us to discuss accountability in the first and third dimensions.  Overcoming Russian obstruction across the OSCE agenda has been a significant achievement and we thank the CiO in particular for making this possible.

Mr Chair, this has been another year of brutality endured by our friends in Ukraine. And we have not forgotten our colleagues, the three OSCE staff members of the Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) who have been detained by Russia for over 500 days. The UK again calls for their immediate release. There is absolutely no justification for their detention.

We condemn Russia’s ongoing aggression. We call on Russia to withdraw their troops from Ukraine and stop the killing.  And we pledge that in 2024 the UK will be there again, alongside Ukraine with moral and substantial support for as long as it takes.  The UK’s support for you will not falter.