The UN Security Council on Wednesday overwhelmingly rejected a Russian resolution calling for aid access and civilian protection in Ukraine.
The Russian-drafted document that acknowledged Ukraine’s growing humanitarian needs but did not mention the Russian invasion at all as the cause of the deteriorating humanitarian crisis was likely designed by the Kremlin to mislead the international community.
The resolution was criticised in the social media as "joke", perhaps blaming natural disasters, climate change or aliens for the current humanitarian crisis directly caused by Russia's ongoing unprovoked war against Ukraine.
"If Russia cared about the humanitarian situation, it would stop bombing children and end their siege tactics. But they haven't," Britain's UN Ambassador Barbara Woodward said after the vote.
"Russia alone is to blame for the war in Ukraine. Russia's disingenuous efforts to deny the truth of its actions will continue to fail," U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield added.
The Russian draft was co-sponsored by Belarus, North Korea and Syria.
A UN SC resolution needs at least nine votes in favor in the 15-member council and no vetoes by Russia, China, Britain, France or the United States to be adopted.
Russia and China voted in favor while the remaining 13 members (France, Britain, USA, India, Ireland, Kenya, Mexico, Norway, Albania, Brazil, Gabon, Ghana, UAE) abstained.
Russia had banned the use of "war" in local media, instead calling it "a special military operation".
Russia’s internet censor board Roskomnadzor has ordered a nationwide domain block of websites referring the ongoing military aggression as an “invasion”, “attack”, "aggression", or “war”.
