UNITED NATIONS, May 7. /TASS/. Reuters has heavily censored and distorted testimonies by a woman evacuated from Mariupol in order to adjust her words to its own claims about the city’s shellings by the Russian army, Dmitry Polyansky said at an informal Arria Formula meeting of the UN Security Council, devoted to crimes by the Ukrainian military.

"The Reuters story creates an impression that the woman, Natalya Usmanova, is scared by Russian strikes and apparently hates Russia for what it has done to Ukraine," Polyansky said. He stressed that at the same time Reuters preferred to keep quiet about what the woman said loudly and clearly on Russian television.

Polyansky showed this video of Usmanova saying something Reuters did not dare quote in its story. The woman evacuee literally said:

"I do not wish to return to Ukraine. Honestly. My family’s vote was unanimous. Even if we ever decide to return, we will return only to Mariupol, to the Donetsk People’s Republic. And not to Ukraine," Usmanova said.

Yet, a Reuters spokesperson said the news organization stood by its reporting: "We are still seeking to verify key aspects of Natalia Usmanova's account. We are committed to reporting on the conflict on Ukraine in an impartial and independent way."

"It is deplorable that Western journalists in most cases participate in censorship and conceal undesirable information from their readerships and audiences," Polyansky concluded.