Statement by

H.E. Mr.Yuriy Sergeyev, Permanent Representative

of Ukraine to the United Nations at the UN Security Council

Mr. President,

Distinguished members of the Security Council,

Thank you for having responded to my letter of November 7 and convened today's meeting. In
that latter I drew your attention to the dangerous deteriorating security situation in the East of
Ukraine that threatens our territorial integrity and has a tendency to transform to the "frozen
conflict", and thus continues to be a challenge to peace and stability in the whole region of
Central and Eastern Europe and beyond.
With your assistance and assistance of the capitals of the OSCE members we managed to create
a Trilateral contact group: Ukraine - OSCE - Russia for peaceful settlement in the East of
Ukraine. This group held a range of meetings including those in Mmsk with an invitation of the
ringleaders from Luhansk and Donetsk regions. As a result we got two official documents:
Protocol and Memorandum which have been unanimously supported and signed on the 5th
and 29th of September by all participants of the meetings. UN Secretary General, leaders of the
EU, OSCE, individual countries, including those you represent called the Minsk agreements as
promising and as such that can bring peace and stability based on respect for sovereignty,
territorial integrity and independence of Ukraine. Commitment to agreements' implementation
was confirmed during the high level meeting in Milan on the 17th of October, where the
President of the Russian Federation participated.
Nevertheless, these agreements are grossly wolated by the Russian Federation and so called
"leadership" of militants. In this regard Mr. Ban-Ki-Moon has expressed hs disappointment and
called back the parties revolved into a settlement process to fulfill their obligations I would like
to turn your attention to a few major issues in thB regard.
1. We agreed with Russia in Minsk about an immediate bdateraJ ceasefire and withdrawal of
illegal armed groups, military equipment, as well as fighters and mercenaries from the temtory
of Ukraine. What happened nexP In breach of all agreements mlhtants backed by Russian
regular forces continue shelhng Ukrainian military as well as civilian locations, in particular with
MLRS Grad and Smerch. Since the 5th of September Ukrainian forces and civihans have been
shelled over 2700 times. 129 Ukraiman servicemen are killed. Over 650 are wounded. There are
at least 65 cwlians who lost their hves.

Militants inspired by Russia dBregard efforts to set up the touchline hne and still conduct
offensive operations trying to extend the area under their control. As of the 4th of November,
militants and Russian regulars have significantly increased military maneuvers in both Donetsk
and Luhansk regions. Large-scale recruitment and training of militants takes place in the areas
of Donbas which are temporary out of our control as well as on the Russian side of the border.
Offensive Is expected in a number of locations along the touchline. We cannot exclude an
attempt to create a land corridor from Russia to temporary occupied Crimea.
Another interrelated alarming signal of the violation of Minsk agreements is a huge dlegal flow
from Russia to Ukraine of heavy military equipment along with personnel and fuel, which
continues after the 5th of September. During the last week a dangerous increase of illegal
armaments' supplies from Russia to militants was observed by Ukraine and OSCE. On the 6th of
November Ukrainian authorities have detected a large-scaled movement of heavy military
equipment from Russian territory to the Krasny Luch town in Ukraine: two columns included 32
tanks, 16 howitzers D-30, and 30 KAMAZ trucks with soldiers and ammunition. OSCE confirmed
on the 8th of November a movement of two columns of 50 fully-loaded KAMAZ trucks. Almost
every truck had an artillery mount in tow. On the 9th of November OSCE recorded a convoy of
17 ZIL trucks 15 km on the East of Donetsk. 5 tucks transported GRAD system. On the 10th of
November OSCE spotted another convoy of 27 trucks that supplied terrorists with 122 mm
howitzers and Radio location stations. On the same day a second convoy of trucks, 3 of which
camed Radio location stations, crossed the border through the checkpoint currently
uncontrolled by Ukraiman Border Guard Service. On the 11th of November OSCE recorded a
convoy of 43 trucks in the eastern part of Donetsk. 5 of the trucks carried 122 mm howitzers
and 5 of trucks carried MLRS. In the vicinity of militants' checkpoint near the town of
Novoazovsk antiaircraft rocket gun Pantzer (Armour) was spotted.
As you see, illegal Russian convoys with heavy weapons are regBtered literally every day.
RussB doesn't want to explain neither Ukraine, nor OSCE, nor the UN SC the purpose of such
military support being prowded to of the militants. Is it preparing a new trampling for further
armed invasion in Ukraine?
Contrary to that hostility and Russian propaganda myths Ukrainian forces obey the ceasefire
regime. They do their best to avoid full-scale military actions and use weapons only to defend
themselves in case of militants' attacks. Let me say very clearly: the only reason why the open
war m the East of Ukraine hasn't started yet is because of Ukraine's restraint. We remain
committed to peaceful settlement and Mmsk arrangements and urge RussB to do the same.
2. We agreed in Mmsk to ensure the momtoring and verification of the ceasefire by the OSCE.
We also agreed to ensure the permanent monitoring and verification by the OSCE of the

Ukrainian-Russian border envisaging creation of security zones n the border regions of Ukraine
and the Russian Federation. Were we are with that?
Ukraine has rendered all necessary assistance for initial deployment and further expansion of
the OSCE Special Monitoring Mtsson in Ukraine and OSCE Observation Mission to ensure
proper momtonng and verification of the ceasefire and border resime.
Russia-supported militants could not extend securtty guarantees to the OSCE personnel to all
areas that they control and occastonaliy impede the SMM to perform their actMties. The
Russian side refused to extend OSCE observation activities to all Russian border checkpoints
along the 400-kin segment of the border that is currently out of Ukraine's control. Moreover, in
order to hide their violations Russian military use cuttins-edge electronic warfare to jam the
OSCE drones, thus dtsturbmg monitoring efforts in the resaon in spite of Mmsk arransements.
Why such a sticking difference in our percepttons of the role of OSCE monitors can play?
Ukraine is open for transparent control. Russia and ts puppets do are not.
3. We agreed in Minsk to adopt the Law of Ukraine on "Local Government Provisional
Arrangements in Some Areas of Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts" (law on the special status) and
to ensure within provisions of that law the early local elections in some areas of Donetsk and
Luhansk Oblasts.
The mentioned new law was adopted by Ukrainian Parliament on 16 September. Accordingly
to this btll local elections in some areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions were scheduled for
December 7 and were intended to produce legitimate local self-governance which would make
proper use of enhanced powers, ensage mto an inclusive national dialogue and ensure
reconstruction of Donbas severely suffered from military activities of illegal armed 8roups.
Contrary to that on the 2nd of November Russia-backed terrorists held tllegitimate 'elections'
of so called "presidents" and "parhaments" of self-proclatmed illegttimate entities in certam
areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions. These 'elections' were conducted tn vtolation of
Ukrainian lesislatlon and international standards and contrary to articles 3 and 9 of the Minsk
Protocol. Local residents were mtimldated and bribed to vote. The real turnout as unknown
because of gross falstflcatlons and fraud. Actually, that so called "elections" were organtzed and
held without any legal basis and voters' register and cannot represent pubhc opinion of the
region in any way.

We are very much concerned by the position of the Russian Federation which manipulates with
the right of peoples for self-determination. It has the only prtority - to feed separatism and
create "frozen" confhcts in sovereign states treated by Russia as zones of Its national interests.
We see a lot of smilantes between the llegal and anta-consttutional pseudo elections n
certain areas of Donetsk and Lugansk regions and the illesal referendum in Crimea, which was

held on March 16, 2014. Both events contradicted the Constitution of Ukraine and were
conducted under the barrels of guns. That is why Ukraine as well as the international
community wdl newer recognize the illegal referendum m Crimea and illegal pseudo elections in
certain areas of Donetsk and Lugansk regions.
Why having legal instruments in both situations pro-Russian leaders in Crimea and DonetskLugansk performed illegally and illogically? Qui bono The only answer as to those, who want
to keep conflict pending and lasting.
Ukrainian leadership has already expressed its deep concern on the violation of Mmsk
agreements by Russia and ringleaders of from some Luhansk and Donetsk regions. Illegal
elections and continuous ceaseflre regime violations by mihtants have seriously undermined
Mmsk process of peaceful settlement. It questioned the confidence to those signatories who
are not in a position to keep their word.
Nevertheless Kiev confirmed its commitments to continue to observe the regime of ceasefire in
line with Minsk agreements and called all involved in the process to swiftly resume settlement
efforts. We try to make use of all possible mechanisms to forge a peaceful solution to the
situation. Kiev proposed EU, USA to meet in Geneva format to find a way out from the dead
end illegal elections brought us in. However, we will not submit to Russia's attempt to reduce
impliot recogmtion in the international arena of ringleaders of illegal entities in Donbas by
inviting them to this meeting.
We keep addressing Russian Federation: if this country is really in a position to assist peaceful
settlement in the East of Ukraine, it has to stop backing illegal armed groups, immediately and
strictly comply with the Minks agreements by withdrawing its mihtary forces and weaponry
from the territory of Ukraine, estabhshmg joint customs and border control as well as releasing
all Ukrainian hostages captured by Russian forces and their proxies, and to stop Russza's longlasting mdrtary exercBes in close vicinity to our borders.
I thank you Mr. President.