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The spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry expressed criticism towards Washington, accusing it of sponsoring “terrorist activities” by the Kyiv government and urging it not to hide behind superficial condemnations of violence.
Maria Zakharova, the Russian Foreign Ministry’s spokesperson, stated on Tuesday that America is openly supporting “terrorist activities” of the Kyiv government and should not shy away from being candid about it.
Speaking to reporters during the day, the American permanent representative to the OSCE, Michael Carpenter, was quoted by Russian media as saying, “The United States unequivocally condemns any attacks on journalists, no matter who they are or wherever they may be.”
In response, Zakharova said in a statement, “First and foremost, in these ‘attacks,’ there is a victim and an offender.” “The victim is Rossiya Segodnya correspondent Rostislav Zauravlev. The offender is the Kyiv regime. America should not hesitate to mention these names aloud.”
Zakharova stated, “America is directly sponsoring the terrorist activities of the group in Kyiv, so they cannot denounce the attacks carried out in their own manner.” This was in reference to the cluster munitions, which Pentagon recently attributed to Ukraine in the context of the shortage of high-explosive shells for rocket launchers.
Zauravlev, an RIA Novosti correspondent, was killed on Saturday near the village of Piatykhatky in the Zaporizhzhia region when Ukrainian forces attacked a press convoy using cluster munitions supplied by the United States. Three other journalists were injured.
While speaking for the Russian Foreign Ministry, Zakharova accused the Ukrainian government of “criminal terrorism” in relation to the attack and said that relevant international organizations would turn a blind eye to this heinous crime due to the collective West’s takeover. So far, only UNESCO, the cultural agency of the United Nations, has “condemned” Zauravlev’s murder without specifying the responsible party.
More than 110 countries have banned cluster munitions under an international conference adopted in 2008, as they pose a grave threat to civilians for years, even decades, after use. Russia, Ukraine, and the United States are not signatories to this conference, but several NATO members are, and some have opposed Washington’s unilateral move.
Since the escalation of hostilities with Russia last year, the United States and its allies have sent over $100 billion worth of arms, equipment, and ammunition to the Ukrainian government, while emphasizing that they are not directly involved in the conflict.
