Russian forces have taken over 3,000 Ukrainian children to Belarus – Ukraine’s ambassador to UN

Under the guise of "rehabilitation," three thousand Ukrainian children were taken from the temporarily occupied territories to Belarus.

The Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the UN, Serhii Kyslytsia, stated this at a meeting of the Security Council to discuss the shelling of the historic center of Odesa and the port infrastructure, Ukrinform's own correspondent in New York reports.

During his speech, Kyslytsia drew the attention of members of the Security Council to the problem of the forcible transfer of Ukrainian children from the occupied territories.

They are "subjected to anti-Ukrainian indoctrination and propaganda aimed at instilling hatred for Ukraine, its language, culture, and history," the deputy ambassador noted.

The representative of Ukraine at the UN also addressed the members from Belarus. He stated that more than 3,000 children from the occupied territories of Donetsk and Luhansk regions were sent to the territory of their country under the guise of "rehabilitation."

In addition, Kyslytsia explained that the Kremlin, using low-precision anti-ship missiles against ground targets, caused significant damage to the historic center of Odesa, recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The rockets hit 29 historical and cultural monuments, including museums, religious and residential buildings.

In addition, the building of the consulate of Greece was also damaged, and last week – the consulate of China.

Ukraine's ambassador brought to the attention of the Security Council that, in addition to the shelling of civilian infrastructure, Russia has singled out another target for itself.

"Ukrainian grain and other food products remain another target that Russia is trying to destroy, completely unconcerned about the serious consequences for world food security," Kyslytsia emphasized.

According to him, Russia may resort to attacks on civilian vessels and the installation of additional mines in the waters adjacent to the Ukrainian coast.

"There are reasons to believe that Russia is preparing such incidents to blame Ukraine and prevent ships from other countries from entering Ukrainian waters and using Ukrainian ports," Kyslytsia explained.

As the Ukrainian representative at the UN emphasized, Russia's aims are the following:

• blockade of Ukrainian ports,
• destruction of their infrastructure,
• hindering the export of grain,
• moreover, the intimidation of foreign merchant ships should be seen as an attack on freedom of navigation.

These actions are also aimed at:

• elimination of a competitor on the market,
• deliberate increase in world food prices,
• profiting by making millions of people around the world affected by it.

"Instead of looking for peace, they continue to dream of a big war where Ukraine will not be the only target," Kyslytsia noted.

In addition, he reminded that Ukraine – unlike Russia, which seeks a more extensive war – seeks peace, according to the formula laid out by President Volodymyr Zelensky.

For reference:

It should be noted that on July 26, the UN Security Council held two meetings regarding the situation in Ukraine:

• one – at the request of Russia, about the alleged persecution of Russian Orthodoxy,
• the second – at the request of Ukraine, about the shelling of the historic center of Odesa and the port infrastructure.

On July 23, the Russian invaders launched a missile strike on the Odesa sea port.

On the night of July 23, Russian troops attacked the Odesa region with at least five types of missiles, including cruise Kalibr, Onyx, X-22, missiles, and ballistic Iskander. Air defense forces destroyed a significant number of targets.

So far, one civilian has been reported dead, and 19 people have been injured, including four children.

The attack destroyed six residential buildings, including apartment buildings. Architectural monuments and a church were also damaged.

Russian missile attacks on the night of July 22-23 caused significant damage to Odesa's historic Transfiguration Cathedral, the city administration reported.

The building was partially destroyed, and several Orthodox shrines were damaged.

On July 21, UNESCO condemned the Russian military attacks on Odesa's historic center, named a world heritage site earlier this year. UNESCO listed "religious buildings" as among the reasons the city center deserved this designation.

Read also – Russia attempts to isolate Ukraine's access to Black Sea with a missile attack on Odesa – Ukraine's top defense official.

Russian rockets destroyed 120 tons of crops and injured civilians in a night attack on Odesa agribusiness.