Guterres refused to consider what is happening in Donbass a genocide

UN Secretary General António Guterres does not believe that what is happening in Donbass is genocide

The UN Secretary General criticized the recognition of the Donbass republics by Russia and said that he would not recognize the Russian military as peacekeepers if they were sent there

What is happening in the Donbass does not fall under the definition of genocide, UN Secretary General António Guterres believes. His statement on the situation around Ukraine published on the website of the international organization.

“Genocide is a crime that has a clear definition, and to use it (definition. — RBC) follows in accordance with international law. I think this is not the case,” Guterres said.

He stated that he would not consider the Russian military as peacekeepers if they, in accordance with the permission received by Vladimir Putin, go to Donbass. “When the troops of one country enter the territory of another country without its consent, they <...> are not peacekeepers,” the UN Secretary General said, expressing concern about the “distortion of the concept of peacekeeping.”

Guterres called Russia’s recognition of the independence of the DPR and LPR “a violation of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine”, the UN Charter and the Declaration on the Principles of International Law.