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STORY: UN / UKRAINE RUSSIA MILITARY PLANE
TRT: 04:22
SOURCE: UNIFEED
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGES: ENGLISH / RUSSIAN / NATS
DATELINE: 25 JANUARY 2024, NEW YORK CITY / FILE
FILE - NEW YORK CITY
1. Wide shot, exterior UN Headquarters
25 JANUARY 2024, NEW YORK CITY
2. Wide shot, Security Council
3. Wide shot, Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs Rosemary DiCarlo
4. Med shot, Ukraine Ambassador
5. Wide shot, DiCarlo speaking
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Rosemary DiCarlo, Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, United Nations:
“The United Nations is not in a position to verify these reports or the circumstances of the crash. What is clear is that the incident took place in the context of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and ongoing war. To avoid further escalation, we urge all concerned to refrain from actions, rhetoric, or allegations that could further fuel the already dangerous conflict.”
6. Wide shot, DiCarlo speaking
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Rosemary DiCarlo, Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, United Nations:
“In recent weeks, the scale and intensity of attacks against Ukraine have only grown, highlighting the dangerous trajectory of the war. Shelling and missile strikes on civilian areas continue to kill and maim civilians and cause massive destruction to critical infrastructure.”
8. Wide shot, DiCarlo at the dais
9. SOUNDBITE (English) Rosemary DiCarlo, Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, United Nations:
“The recent incident in the Belgorod region, with its claimed link to a planned prisoner exchange, reminds us of the plight of prisoners of war. We remain deeply concerned about their treatment. Since February 2022, the UN has interviewed over 280 Ukrainian POWs who returned from Russian captivity. Just in the past week, our colleagues in the Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine interviewed 31 prisoners of war who returned in early January. What we hear in these interviews is harrowing.”
10. Wide shot, Russian Ambassador Dmitriy Polyanskiy at the dais
11. SOUNDBITE (Russian) Dmitriy Polyanskiy, Deputy Permanent Representastive to the United Nations, Russian Federation:
“All of the information that we have today shows that we are dealing with a premeditated, a though through crime. The leadership of Ukraine knew the route very well, knew about the way the soldiers were going to transported to the place of exchange. It was to take place yesterday on the 24th of January in the second part of the day, and this is not the first such operation. But this time the Kiev regime for some inexplicable reason decided to sabotage this procedure and do it in the most barbaric way possible.”
12. Wide shot, Polyanskiy at the dais speaking
13. SOUNDBITE (Russian) Dmitriy Polyanskiy, Deputy Permanent Representastive to the United Nations, Russian Federation:
“We are hoping for an explanation from the Kiev of regime. What happened? Was it the lack of coordination amongst the Ukrainian Armed Forces, or someone's initiative, or a crime which is beyond any kind of morals?”
14. Wide shot, US Ambassador at the dais
15. SOUNDBITE (English) Robert Wood, Alternative Representative for Special Political Affairs, United States:
“Russia’s rush to call for a Council meeting fits a now familiar pattern right out of the Russian playbook, with which we are all familiar. Russia has repeatedly attempted to shift responsibility for the tragedies of this senseless war of choice, as though it is the victim and not the aggressor. While we work to gather the facts and ascertain what happened, it bears repeating that the Kremlin bears full and ultimate responsibility for starting and continuing this war.”
16. Wide shot, Ukraine Ambassador Khrystyna Hayovyshyn at the dais
17. SOUNDBITE (English) Khrystyna Hayovyshyn, Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ukraine:
“Let me remind you that according to the loss of warfare, military transport aircraft of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation is a legitimate military target.”
18. Wide shot, Council
19. SOUNDBITE (English) Khrystyna Hayovyshyn, Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ukraine:
“Ukraine was not informed about the number of vehicles, routes and means of transportation of the captives. This alone may constitute intentional actions by Russia to endanger the lives and safety of the prisoners. The landing of a transport aircraft in a 30 kilometres zone of combat operations presents a danger to the entire exchange process in the Russia as the responsible for the safety of the PVS site should take all necessary measures including to inform of all transfer related details in the war zone and its proximity to comply with all relevant international provisions.”
20. Wide shot, end of meeting
Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, Rosemary DiCarlo, today (25 Jan) told the Security Council that the United Nations “is not in a position” to verify Russian nor Ukrainian accounts for the circumstances of the crash of a Russian IL-76 military transport plane in the Belgorod region of the Russian Federation, near the border of Ukraine, killing everyone on board.
According to Russian authorities, the plane was carrying 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war, six Russian crew members and three Russian military personnel.
According to Ukrainian authorities, the plane may have been carrying missiles for Russia’s military system.
“What is clear,” DiCarlo said, “is that the incident took place in the context of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and ongoing war.”
She said, “in recent weeks, the scale and intensity of attacks against Ukraine have only grown, highlighting the dangerous trajectory of the war,” adding that “shelling and missile strikes on civilian areas continue to kill and maim civilians and cause massive destruction to critical infrastructure.”
DiCarlo noted Russia’s claim that the incident is linked to a planned prisoner exchange, which “reminds us of the plight of prisoners of war.”
She said, “we remain deeply concerned about their treatment. Since February 2022, the UN has interviewed over 280 Ukrainian POWs who returned from Russian captivity. Just in the past week, our colleagues in the Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine interviewed 31 prisoners of war who returned in early January. What we hear in these interviews is harrowing.”
Russian Ambassador Dmitriy Polyanskiy said, “all of the information that we have today shows that we are dealing with a premeditated, a though through crime.”
He said, “the leadership of Ukraine knew the route very well, knew about the way the soldiers were going to transported to the place of exchange. It was to take place yesterday on the 24th of January in the second part of the day, and this is not the first such operation. But this time the Kiev regime for some inexplicable reason decided to sabotage this procedure and do it in the most barbaric way possible.”
Polyanskiy said, “we are hoping for an explanation from the Kiev of regime. What happened? Was it the lack of coordination amongst the Ukrainian Armed Forces, or someone's initiative, or a crime which is beyond any kind of morals?”
US Ambassador Robert Wood told the Council that “Russia’s rush to call for a Council meeting fits a now familiar pattern right out of the Russian playbook,” with which, he said, “Russia has repeatedly attempted to shift responsibility for the tragedies of this senseless war of choice, as though it is the victim and not the aggressor.”
Wood said, “while we work to gather the facts and ascertain what happened, it bears repeating that the Kremlin bears full and ultimate responsibility for starting and continuing this war.”
For her part, Ukraine Ambassador Khrystyna Hayovyshyn said, “let me remind you that according to the loss of warfare, military transport aircraft of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation is a legitimate military target.”
Hayovyshyn said, “Ukraine was not informed about the number of vehicles, routes and means of transportation of the captives. This alone may constitute intentional actions by Russia to endanger the lives and safety of the prisoners. The landing of a transport aircraft in a 30 kilometres zone of combat operations presents a danger to the entire exchange process in the Russia as the responsible for the safety of the PVS site should take all necessary measures including to inform of all transfer related details in the war zone and its proximity to comply with all relevant international provisions.”
