Passport photo of the diplomat Boris Bondarev, who wrote: “I just can no longer share this bloody, meaningless and absolutely unnecessary disgrace” © AP
A Russian diplomat has resigned in protest of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, describing himself as “ashamed” of his country in a rare rejection by a government official of President Vladimir Putin’s military goals.
Boris Bondarev, an arms control adviser at Russia’s UN mission in Geneva, made extremely critical comments in a statement posted on social media accounts.
“A long time ago, but today I am resigning from the civil service. That’s enough, “he wrote.
“In the 20 years of my diplomatic career, I have seen various twists in our foreign policy, but I have never been as ashamed of my country as I was on February 24 this year,” he said, referring to the date Russia invaded Ukraine.
A statement from Bondarev, who also criticized Russia’s veteran foreign minister Sergei Lavrov, said the foreign ministry was riddled with “lies” and no longer involved in diplomacy. Instead, he wrote: “It’s all about inciting war, lies and hatred. It serves [the] interests of [the] few. “
Speaking to the Financial Times, Bondarev confirmed that he had resigned and said he did not think he could return to Russia for fear of repercussions.
“It has become obvious that our government is doing wrong things, not in the interests of the country or society at all, but quite the opposite,” he said by telephone. “I didn’t want to have anything to do with it.”
“As an employee, I have some responsibility for all this. So I decided that was it, “he said. He added that he knew of a” significant “number of people who had already left Russian diplomacy but did so without making any public statements.
Fear of change and possible consequences are holding back many others from their work, even if they disagree with the war, Bondarev said.
Although he believes he has “suffered nonsense” at work for some time, Bondarev said he might have stayed at work if it weren’t for the intrusion, and then felt it was time to signal whether you were human or what. you are.”
The Office of the Permanent Mission of the Russian Federation to the United Nations did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In his resignation, Bondarev said his former boss, Foreign Minister Lavrov, had started with “a professional and educated intellectual. . . highly respected, a man who constantly makes contradictory statements and threatens the world. . . with nuclear weapons! “
“I studied to be a diplomat and I have been a diplomat for 20 years. The ministry has become my home and family. But I just can’t take part in this bloody, meaningless and absolutely unnecessary disgrace anymore, “he wrote.
Bondarev said that the war was also “a crime against the people of Russia, with a bold letter Z, erasing all hopes and prospects for a prosperous free society in our country.” The letter Z, used on Russian military vehicles in Ukraine, has become a nationalist symbol of support for the invasion.
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