ST. PETERSBURG, June 25. /TASS/. The enemy has made human rights an instrument of the hybrid war against Russia, and terrible crimes are hiding under Ukraine's human rights rhetoric on international platforms, Russia’s Commissioner for Human Rights Yana Lantratova said at a session titled "Human Rights as a Weapon: When Human Rights Rhetoric Destroys International Cooperation" at the St. Petersburg International Legal Forum.
"The world is changing irreversibly. Today we have entered an era of hybrid warfare. They are trying to destroy us not only on the battlefield or through terrorist attacks, but also mentally. And the most unexpected things become tools, for example, words about human rights. This is especially unusual for us," Lantratova said.
She noted the historical fact that in Russia, words aren't just thrown around. According to the ombudswoman, this is evidenced by Russia’s constant openness to negotiations on a peaceful settlement in Ukraine.
"The enemy chose a different path - the word as evil, the word as deception, the word as a weapon. To slander, insult, humiliate. And the most inhumane crimes began to hide under human rights rhetoric," Lantratova said.
She cited as an example the speech of the permanent representative of Ukraine at a meeting of the UN Security Council on May 29, where he stated that the Ukrainian army was allegedly aimed only at "legitimate military objectives." At the same time, as the ombudswoman said that on May 22 the college buildings in Starobelsk were attacked by Ukrainian drones.
"The college, where 86 children aged 14 to 18 were sleeping, was bombarded by 16 drones in three waves after 10-15 minutes, while the children were trying to escape. The rescue operation lasted 45 hours. It stopped 18 times because they [the drones] were finishing off so that rescuers could not pull out the bodies of the dead children," Lantratova said.
On the night of May 22, the dormitory buildings and the academic building of the Starobelsk Pedagogical College and the Starobelsk Faculty of the Lugansk State Pedagogical University were attacked by Ukraine. At that moment there were 86 children there. 21 people died. As previously reported by LPR head Leonid Pasechnik, the educational institution, which houses the Starobelsk College and the Starobelsk Faculty, will be fully restored. The dormitory cannot be restored.