28th session of the UN Human Rights Council
Agenda items 9
General debates
Intervention by the Permanent Representative of Ukraine,
Ambassador Yurii Klymenko
(March 23, 2015)
Mr. President,
Ukraine aligns itself with the statement made on behalf of the European Union and reiterates its commitment to the fight against racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance.
Our national policies aimed at combating discrimination and ensuring equality in the Ukrainian society are being carried out in close collaboration with the UN, the OSCE, the Council of Europe and other relevant organizations.
At the same time my delegation expresses its deep concern on manifestations of xenophobia, extremism and ethnic intolerance, which increasingly take place in the Russian Federation against Ukrainian citizens and ethnic Ukrainians.
Speaking on these phenomena we cannot but regretfully mention anti-Ukrainian sentiments, fueled by some Russian media which have become everyday realities of our neighboring country’s life.
The spread of such propaganda is a threat to personal safety of our co-citizens which, in some cases, leads to tragic consequences, as the brutal murder of Ukrainian citizen Roman Muzychenko by a nationalist group of young people in the Moscow region on February 14, 2015.
We call on the Russian side to immediately conduct a thorough investigation of this case and bring those responsible for this shocking crime to accountability.
We also urge the Russian Federation to put an end to its anti-Ukrainian propaganda and take comprehensive measures to prevent recurrence of ethnically-motivated violence against Ukrainians and other nationalities.
I thank you.