KIEV, May 6. /TASS/. Ukraine’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Sergei Kislitsa has claimed that Russia uses UN venues to foment hostility and hatred around the May 2, 2014 tragedy in Odessa.
"Today’s (May 5 - TASS) informal [UNSC] meeting is another attempt of a permanent members of the UN Security Council - Russia - to abuse the UN venue," he told Ukrinform agency, commenting on Wednesday’s Arria-formula informal meeting of the UN Security Council. "Russia continues to use this tragedy (of May 2, 2014 in Odessa - TASS) to fan hostility and hatred."
He claimed that information presented by Russia during the meeting "has nothing to do with the tragic developments in Odessa on May 2, 2014 but is just a part of a large-scale propaganda campaign."
Wednesday’s Russia-initiated Arria-formula meeting of the United Nations Security Council, which marked the seventh anniversary of the May 2 events in Odessa. Russia’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Vassily Nebenzia told the online meeting that Ukrainian nationalists were fighting side-by-side with the army in Donbass and frequently violating the ceasefire. "There is a countless number of brigades, battalions and other sorts of fighters united in arms against those Ukrainians who do not share their extremist and sometimes criminal values," Nebenzia said.
The meeting was attended by representatives of Western countries, members of the UN Security Council, namely the United States, the United Kingdom and France. Nevertheless, they seized this chance to lash out at Russia. In particular, US Deputy Political Coordinator Trina Saha repeated allegations of Russia’s alleged interference in eastern Ukraine and around Crimea.
Along with that, some members of the UN Security Council spoke against the repression of the Russian-speaking population in Ukraine.
The Odessa tragedy
On May 2, 2014, Ukrainian radical nationalists, including members of the Pravy Sektor organization (or Right Sector, outlawed in Russia) set fire to the House of Trade Unions in the city of Odessa, where people protecting against the 2014 Ukrainian coup had found shelter. According to official estimates, the clashes killed 48 people, most of whom lost their lives in the Trade Union House fire, while 240 more people were reported to be injured in the inferno and its aftermath.
The government accused "anti-Maidan" supporters of being the instigators, however, the investigation was unable to prove their case in court. As a result, everyone initially detained in relation to this case was released.
In September 2019, Ukraine’s National Bureau of Investigation opened a case against former speaker of the Ukrainian parliament Andrei Parubiy in relation to the events in Odessa. Parubiy himself said that his actions in the criminal case are classified as "creation and coordination of armed groups with the aim to organize mass disturbances.".