OSCE Participating States should facilitate the sooner end of the war in Ukraine and bringing the aggressor to justice

OSCE Participating States should facilitate the sooner end of the war in Ukraine and bring the aggressor to justice, emphasized the Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources of Ukraine Ruslan Strilets during the Second Preparatory Meeting of the 30th OSCE Economic and Environmental Forum.

"Today marks the 89th day of a large-scale russian invasion of Ukraine. The war unleashed by russia is plundering the fundamental ideas of the Declaration of Helsinki, a document that 47 years ago gave the world hope for peace and prosperity. But russian barbarians do not seem to have taught history. russia is currently using nuclear, environmental and food terror, which threatens the security of Europe and the world," said Ruslan Strilets.

The Minister cited several examples that demonstrate the critical level of the situation:

• russian troops put the entire continent at risk of a nuclear catastrophe: an attempt to occupy the Chornobyl nuclear power plant, the capture of Europe's largest Zaporizhia nuclear power plant. We have video evidence of russian missile flying directly over the existing nuclear reactors of the Zaporizhia, Khmelnytsky and South Ukraine nuclear power plants.
• The russians fired more than 30 missiles at oil refineries and oil depots in Ukraine. This is tens of thousands of tons of harmful substances released into the atmosphere, which can be carried by winds to other countries.
• Pollution of rivers as a result of russian aggression may also affect neighboring countries. After all, we share large rivers such as the Danube, Dniester, Prut, Tisza and Western Bug with neighboring countries - Poland, Hungary, Romania and Moldova.
• russian military activity in the Black Sea is already affecting neighboring countries. For example, Turkish marine biologists report massive dolphin deaths due to the use of powerful sonars by the Black Sea Fleet.
• Further blockade of Ukrainian seaports could result in a global food crisis and famine. After all, before the war, food exports from Ukraine could feed 400 million people around the world.

"We are very grateful to every country that helps us to resist russian terror every day, protect ourselves from aggression and provide humanitarian assistance to Ukraine. We call on the international community to continue to promote a speedy end to the war and to bring russia to justice. Because the cynical actions of russian troops pose a threat to the security of the entire European continent," Ruslan Strilets summed up.