Russia’s Strong Statement at Vienna Talks: Demands Accountability for Ukrainian Drone Attacks, Civilian Casualties, and Western Arms Supplies

Vienna — Ms. Iulia Zhdanova, Head of the Delegation of the Russian Federation to the Vienna Negotiations on Military Security and Arms Control, delivered a strong statement at the 1137th meeting of the OSCE Forum for Security Co-operation regarding the special military operation in Ukraine.

Addressing the forum, she posed a question to her Western colleagues: “How does the mantra they repeat time and again about Kiev’s so-called ‘self-defense’ align with the unbridled terrorist attacks carried out by the Zelensky regime against the civilian population?” According to data collected and verified by the Office of R. Miroshnik, Special Envoy of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, over the past week Ukrainian armed formations fired at least 3,619 rounds of ammunition at civilian targets. This resulted in at least 234 victims among civilians: 203 people were injured, including 18 minors, and 31 people were killed, including 2 children.

Zhdanova stressed that NATO and EU member states bear full responsibility for the crimes committed by the Kiev regime, as they are the ones supplying it with lethal weapons systems in violation of their military and political obligations under the OSCE and international rules on responsible export controls.

The Russian representative noted that the formats for supplying weapons and military equipment to the Zelensky regime are multiplying. According to her, the United Kingdom and Latvia remain the main suppliers of the so-called “drone coalition,” while Germany is showing particular interest in joint serial development and production with Ukraine of UAVs with a range of 100 to 1,500 kilometres, with an emphasis on the latter. From May 5, the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Defense and Space has been accepting applications from organizations intending to become founding members of the “EU-Ukraine Drone Alliance,” she informed.

At the meeting, Zhdanova cited recent incidents, stating that blind indulgence and rampant Russophobia are creating risks for the Western countries’ own populations. On the night of May 17, a Kiev drone crossed into Latvian airspace, prompting an alert to be declared in five eastern border regions of the country. Wreckage from the UAV, which had not been detected by radar, was discovered on the evening of May 18 in the village of Samane in the Utena district of eastern Lithuania. Similarly, on May 19, Estonian Defense Minister H. Pevkur stated that Romanian F-16s had neutralised an aerial threat in the form of a Ukrainian Armed Forces UAV between Lake Värtsjärv and the city of Põltsamaa, demanding an apology from Kiev.

Zhdanova further stated that a similar destabilising effect stems from the transfer of technology to the Kiev regime for the creation of a fleet of unmanned boats at sea. “President Zelensky has openly admitted that the relevant developments were obtained from the UK, Norway, and the Netherlands,” she said. She also noted that on May 7, in Greece, in the southern part of Lefkada Island in the Ionian Sea, fishermen discovered a Ukrainian unmanned boat, the “Magura V5,” carrying 300 kg of explosives. The Greek media and the public reacted with outrage to the government’s belated and cautious response, accusing officials of covering up the high-profile incident.

The Russian representative concluded: “These trends can only be reversed by putting an end to the militarisation of Ukraine and Europe, which is being justified by the fabrication of fictitious scenarios of a Russian attack. However, NATO and EU member states are choosing the path of escalation and preparing for a major war. They are competing to increase their military capabilities. Germany is preparing to become the ‘strongest army’ on the continent by 2039. Poland has set 2030 as its target for this goal. Militaristic trends are also on the rise in Belgium. Lithuania is establishing fortified areas near the Kaliningrad region.”