Meeting following a reported strike on a bus transporting Belarusian civilians in the Russian Federation, many speakers in the Security Council today called for an independent investigation to establish the facts surrounding this incident as calls for a broader ceasefire echoed yet again in the chamber.
The Council has met repeatedly over the past months on the situation in Ukraine, including on a failed Orthodox Easter truce , a reported attack on a dormitory in the city of Starobilsk and the reported crash of a Russian Federation drone in Romania.
Throughout this period, Russian Federation missile and drone strikes against Ukraine have increased sharply , and the Council was told on 8 June that the war is now deadlier than at any point since the start of Moscow's invasion in 2022. Just last week, on 22 June, the Council was briefed on another large-scale Russian Federation attack that affected civilians and historic sites in Ukraine.
Dangerous Escalation of War
"The frequency of these meetings reflects the dangerous escalation of this war and the heightened risks of further deterioration," said Martha Ama Akyaa Pobee, Assistant Secretary-General in the Departments of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs and Peace Operations. Recently, the intensity and scope of Russian Federation attacks against Ukraine have significantly increased, and she reported that "only today" at least 15 people were reportedly killed across Ukraine as a result.
Meanwhile, in the Russian Federation-occupied Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol of Ukraine, reported Ukrainian drone strikes led the occupying Russian Federation authorities to declare a state of emergency, she noted. Further, drone strikes on industrial, military and energy sites reportedly continued to result in civilian casualties inside the Russian Federation.
She also said that, on 17 June, a drone strike reportedly hit a bus carrying a Belarusian youth soccer team in the Bryansk region of the Russian Federation. According to Moscow and Minsk, one pregnant woman was killed and nine people - including six children - were injured. "The United Nations does not have additional information about the incident," she stated.
However, she underscored that "civilians must be protected", condemning all attacks against civilian populations and infrastructure "wherever they occur". Adding that Moscow's invasion of Ukraine has "stoked tensions and instability across Europe", she noted increasingly frequent reports of airspace violations and drone sightings in neighbouring countries, as well as recent "concerns regarding potential escalation related to Belarus".
Amid mounting civilian casualties, growing destruction and widening regional spillover, she observed that "the choice between immediate de-escalation and dangerous escalation is starkly clear" and urged an immediate ceasefire. She underscored: "We cannot afford the risk of a broader regional conflict in Europe."
Moscow: Political Cowardice of UN Creating Feeling of Immunity in Kyiv
As the floor opened to Council members, the representative of the Russian Federation expressed disappointment that the UN Secretariat is not willing to "call a spade a spade". She said that, rather, "once again, what we hear from international bureaucrats are toothless comments about how it is unacceptable to attack civilians or civilian facilities".
Condemning this "political cowardice" even when children are victims of crimes, she said that - in contrast - baseless accusations against her country are picked up by the UN Secretariat instantly without verification. Calling on the Secretary-General and relevant UN offices to unequivocally condemn these crimes, she said that these double standards create a feeling of immunity in Kyiv - "essentially, this is egging them on".
"If Russia was genuinely concerned about civilians, there is a very simple solution," said Denmark's representative. Namely, Moscow should end its illegal and unprovoked war of aggression against Ukraine. While agreeing that the allegations of a strike against a civilian bus are serious, he said that it has not been possible to verify them and called for an independent investigation to establish the facts.
While agreeing with others that protecting civilians in wartime is paramount, Latvia's representative said: "We engage only on the basis of verified facts, not allegations." While Moscow repeatedly attempts to use the Council to deflect attention from its actions, it continues to deny access to independent investigators. He pointed out that it then relies only on its own, unverified claims.
He also stated that Moscow is working to deliberately conceal the consequences of its war, including by restricting journalists. The Russian Federation ranks 172 out of 180 on the World Press Freedom Index, making it one of the most dangerous countries in the world for journalists, he said. He therefore called for a dedicated discussion on human rights law in that country, and in Ukraine's temporarily occupied territories, based on verified facts.
Calls for Independent Investigation, Protection of Civilians
Other delegations also called for independent investigation into the bus attack, including Greece's representative, who said that "any civilian life lost or otherwise affected in the context of Russia's war of choice is a tragedy". Only on the basis of established facts should responsibility be attributed, said the representative of Colombia, Council President for June, as she spoke in her national capacity.
Ukrainian officials have "unequivocally refuted the allegations that were used as a justification for today's briefing", noted the representative of the United States. "Without greater fidelity into these attacks, we caution against incendiary rhetoric, which only risks intensifying and expanding the war," he said. Instead, he called for urgent de-escalation and movement towards an immediate ceasefire.
"We are not aware of any independent verification of the circumstances surrounding the incident," said the representative of the United Kingdom, adding: "What we do know is that, if Russia truly wished to protect civilians, it would agree to a full, immediate and unconditional ceasefire." For his part, Liberia's representative said that "pending independent and objective verification of the reported strike in the Bryansk region, we reiterate our fundamental condemnation of any actions targeting civilian lives - particularly children".
France's representative agreed that civilians must always be protected - children especially so - as she, too, called for an independent inquiry into the bus attack. However, she also called on Belarus to cease both extending support to the Russian Federation's war against Ukraine and imprisoning people on political grounds. Expressing support for Ukraine's right to defend itself from "incessant Russian attacks", she urged: "It is high time for Russia to actively commit to peace."
Diverging Narratives Underscore Need for Diplomacy, Dialogue
Somalia's representative pointed out that the diverging narratives surrounding the bus attack underscores the need for diplomacy and dialogue. Others agreed, with the representative of the Democratic Republic of the Congo also emphasizing that the increasing use of sophisticated military technology requires a heightened level of "precaution, control and responsibility" on the part of all actors. She was joined on that point by Bahrain's representative, who noted that the increased threat posed by drones has hindered the delivery of humanitarian assistance and emergency-response services.
Lately, civilians in both Ukraine and the Russian Federation have increasingly been suffering, noted China's representative. He therefore urged the parties towards restraint and negotiations, and Panama's representative added that recent events demonstrate that those who bear the least responsibility for conflicts too often suffer the most. He also pointed out that the many Council meetings on the conflict have not resulted in any improvement on the ground.
"The numerous meetings that this Council has held on the conflict in Ukraine have brought to light some interconnected strands," observed Pakistan's representative. These include the relentless use of armed drones, and the humanitarian challenges associated with these modern technologies. Further, as the conflict drags on, the risk of miscalculation and escalation heighten. "The only way to end this conflict and achieve a lasting peace is through diplomacy and dialogue," he urged.
Minsk: We Have Evidence Ukraine Is Responsible for Bus Attack
For his part, the representative of Belarus - whose delegation called today's meeting - said: "It can be stated with full confidence that the strike on the bus was not the result of accidental or random actions that entailed collateral damage in their wake." And while Ukraine immediately stated that it was not involved, he said that "we have evidence enough to be able to responsibly state that the attack on the Belarusian bus was carried out by an attack UAV of Ukrainian manufacture".
This deliberate, provocative strike, he said, attempts to "create a pretext to pit Belarus against Ukraine and involve our country in war". Underscoring that "Belarus does not participate in the armed conflict," he added that accusations of his country's complicity therein "sound especially cynical from States that spend billions of dollars on supplying Ukraine with weapons, training military personnel and transferring intelligence data".
Kyiv: Ukraine Has No Interest in Provoking Belarus, Harming Its Citizens
Ukraine's representative, meanwhile, stressed that Belarus has been a direct accomplice to the Russian Federation's aggression against her country. She also rejected allegations made by those countries regarding the alleged 17 June bus attack, underscoring: "Ukraine has no interest in provoking Belarus or harming Belarus citizens." Rather, this case appears intended to foster hostility towards Ukraine amongst the Belarusian public, and she added that Moscow and Minsk are playing the victim now, despite acting as aggressors against her country for years.
These allegations, she added, follow "a well-established pattern of disinformation", which the Kremlin has employed repeatedly to deflect attention from its own crimes.
