30th session of the UN Human Rights Council
Agenda item 3
Clustered interactive dialogue with the Working Group on mercenaries
and the Independent Expert on the rights of older persons
Intervention by the Permanent Representative of Ukraine
Ambassador Yurii Klymenko
September 16, 2015
Mr. President,
We welcome conducting this dialogue with the Working Group on mercenaries, which activities are getting highly relevant for my country.
Nowadays Ukraine faces state-promoted recruitment of mercenaries, thousands of which the Russian Federation brings to my country with the clear purpose to undermine Ukraine’s territorial integrity and constitutional order – doings which UN Mercenary Convention clearly defines as «mercenary».
Russia has instigated an over 44,000-strong force in Donbas, with about 60% of them being Russian armed forces. Yet, it continues pouring more heavy weapons, other military equipment, ammunition and manpower (both mercenaries and regular military cadre) to this region of Ukraine. Russian subversion and reconnaissance groups keep arriving to Ukraine. Recruitment offices in Russia actively search for highly experienced former servicemen with military operation experience.
There are credible data documented in the Reports of the OHCHR Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, especially in the last one, clearly proving participation of Russian militants in disruptive actions in the southeast of my country.
Russia and its proxies violate the Minsk agreements, in particular its paragraph 10 with regard to withdrawal of all foreign armed formations, military equipment and mercenaries from the territory of Ukraine under the OSCE monitoring.
Ukraine is extremely concerned over Russia-promoted form of mercenary, appealing to the Group to pay due attention and consider possible ways of dealing with this extremely dangerous phenomenon. We hope that the upcoming Working Group`s visit to Ukraine next year will contribute to obtaining more fully objective picture of its real scope.
Ukraine, on its part, remains ready to provide any assistance needed in this regard.
I thank you.