A UN flag flutters in the wind on top of a UN building in Geneva, Switzerland, Monday, June 14, 2021. A veteran Russian diplomat at the UN office in Geneva says he resigned before sending a scathing letter to foreign counterparts. investigating the “aggressive war unleashed” by Russian President Vladimir Putin in Ukraine. Boris Bondarev, 41, confirmed his resignation in a letter sent to the Russian diplomatic mission on Monday morning after a diplomatic official passed on his English-language statement to the Associated Press. (Marcus Schreiber / AP)
A 20-year-old veteran of the Russian diplomatic service announced his resignation on Monday in protest of his country’s war against Ukraine, numerous media reported.
In a rare public protest against a Russian official, Boris Bondarev, a diplomat seconded to Russia’s UN mission in Geneva, posted a statement on a LinkedIn account condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and criticizing Russia’s foreign ministry for complicity. which he described as “aggressive war” – a language banned in Russia under wartime censorship laws.
“In the twenty 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,” Bondarev wrote, referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decision to invade Ukraine. . “The aggressive war unleashed by Putin against Ukraine, and in fact against the entire Western world, is not only a crime against the Ukrainian people, but perhaps the most serious crime against the people of Russia in bold Z. exhausts all hopes and prospects for prosperous free society in our country. “
The respected Russian business newspaper Kommersant turned to Bondarev, who confirmed the authenticity of the publication. The New York Times confirmed receiving a resignation sent by email to diplomats in Geneva.
Russia’s UN mission in Geneva declined to comment to CNN, and Bondarev did not respond to messages sent to the LinkedIn account.
The LinkedIn publication criticized Russia’s leadership for corruption, saying: “Those who planned this war want only one thing – to stay in power forever, to live in pompous tasteless palaces, to sail on yachts comparable in tonnage and price. Russian navy, to enjoy unlimited power and complete impunity. To achieve this, they are willing to sacrifice as many lives as they need. Thousands of Russians and Ukrainians have already died because of it. “
He also criticized the Russian Foreign Ministry for sharp criticism.
“I am sorry to admit that during all these twenty years the level of lies and unprofessionalism in the work of the Foreign Ministry has been constantly growing. In recent years, however, this has become catastrophic. “Instead of unbiased information, impartial analysis and sober forecasting, there are propaganda clichés in the spirit of the Soviet newspapers of the 1930s,” the publication said.
“Today, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs does not deal with diplomacy. It’s all about inciting war, lies and hatred. It serves the interests of a few, very few people, thus contributing to the further isolation and degradation of my country. “Russia no longer has allies, and there is no one to blame but its reckless and ill-considered policies.”
The LinkedIn profile describes Bondarev as a veteran of the Russian diplomatic service, with experience in arms control and non-proliferation. The photo in the profile already has the hashtag #opentowork.
The US State Department said Monday that Bondarev’s resignation shows that “despite Kremlin propaganda, there are Russians who strongly disagree with what President Putin is doing in Ukraine and share our concern about the danger he poses to the entire global community.” “.
A State Department spokesman said it was encouraging that “many are ready to stand up to Putin” and noted that “it takes a lot of courage to stand up to an oppressor and it takes courage to speak the truth to the authorities, especially given given the long time of the Russian government and the terrible experience in trying to silence legitimate and peaceful protests and dissent. ”
“The decline in morale is clearly not limited to Russia’s military forces fighting in Ukraine,” they said.
“Boris Bondarev’s statement emphasizes that people around the world, including Russia and even the Russian government, recognize the brutality of the Kremlin’s attack on the Ukrainian people,” the spokesman said. “They are doing so despite the Kremlin’s best efforts to produce and maintain disinformation.
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