20.02.2026 Statement for Arria Meeting on the information dimension of the Ukrainian crisis

Check Against Delivery

Madam Chair,

Russia has justified this meeting on Ukraine by saying that “the Western media has promoted a one-sided interpretation that marginalises alternative viewpoints and historical context”. It is hard to know where to begin to respond to what is itself clearly disinformation. We almost seem to be back in the world of George Orwell’s novel “1984”, where the Ministry of Truth falsifies history, controls information, and enforces so called “doublethink”.

Allow me a few points for reflection.

Firstly, President Putin chose to violate the UN Charter when he launched the full-scale invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022. This came after his illegal annexation of Crimea and partial occupation of the Donbas in 2014. Contrary to the Kremlin’s narrative, Russian aggression is the only “root cause” of the war.

Secondly, the vast majority of the international community believes a sovereign and independent Ukraine must be able to live in peace within its internationally-recognised borders.

Thirdly, the UN itself estimates at least 55,000 Ukrainian civilians – including over 3,000 children – have been killed and injured by Russia. It also concluded that Russian forces have committed multiple counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity. The 2026 Human Rights Watch report states Russian Forces have repeatedly targeted civilians in unlawful attacks. In fact, casualties have increased by 31% in 2025 compared to the previous year. Even Conflict Intelligence Team – the independent investigative group founded in Russia but forced to flee in March 2022 after the Kremlin declared its work “undesirable” and its work was criminalised – assesses that 2025 was the deadliest year of the war for Ukrainian civilians.

Fourthly, the war is having a terrible cost on Russia itself. Credible estimates by numerous international experts are that the total Russian casualties to date since February 2022 are between 1 and 1.3 million soldiers.

Madam Chair,

The truth is that – despite today’s performative outrage about Western media manipulation – Russia itself does not have a free and independent press. The Kremlin has done all it can to stop the facts about the war reaching its own people. Those Russian journalists who have tried to continue to question the official line have either been forced into exile or have been silenced.

Ultimately it will not matter what new narratives the Kremlin tries to spread. As George Orwell might have said, they are trying to convince the Russian people – and the international community – to “reject the evidence of their eyes and ears”. I’m afraid such efforts will fail, in no small part precisely because of the role of the free press in reporting on what are inconvenient truths for the Kremlin.

The “alternative viewpoints” that we have heard today, including from the briefers are simply disinformation dressed up as multilateral diplomacy. I’m afraid This has been just another attempt to use a very tired playbook to dismiss, distort and distract ahead of the Security Council meeting on Ukraine next week. I’m afraid It will not succeed.

I thank you.