Sergei Lavrov angry that Ukraine is not being treated like Russia

Vladimir Putin’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov just claimed that the UN is ignoring Ukraine’s invasion of Russia’s Kursk region.

More than two and a half years after Moscow sent troops to its European neighbor, Russia occupies more than 100,000 square kilometers of Ukrainian territory — and is seeking more.

Meanwhile, Ukraine has taken control of about 1,200 square kilometers of Russian territory following the August offensive.

However, Lavrov spoke out about Kiev’s offensive from the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York in an interview with the Russian state news agency TASS.

Although the Kremlin invaded Ukraine first, he claimed that Kiev’s much smaller invasion of Russia was deliberately ignored by the UN.

“I have not heard any voices from UN representatives responsible for human rights, including of course the Secretary-General,” he said, referring to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

Earlier this week, Kiev denied Russian claims that it had attacked civilians in Kursk.

A State Department spokesman said: “Given Russia’s long history of false figures and propaganda, there is simply no way to verify their claims. If Russia wants to show the real situation on the ground, it can provide such access to the UN and the ICRC.”

Lavrov also claimed that Ukrainian “terrorist groups” were using Western weapons to carry out indiscriminate attacks in Kursk, even though Russia itself has been accused of indiscriminate bombings since it invaded Ukraine.

The diplomat said: “There they bomb houses every day, they bomb social institutions, and they move peaceful citizens in their cars to safer places.”

According to TASS, Lavrov also said that the West wants “not just a cold war, but also a hot one” with Moscow.

He said that unlike Ukraine’s allies, Russia has committed to ensuring that “the principles enshrined in the UN Charter are effectively respected and put into practice”.

“Unfortunately, these principles have been violated daily by our Western colleagues in recent years,” he claimed.

The UN has repeatedly stated that it is committed to protecting Ukraine’s sovereignty during the war against Russia.

Earlier this month, Ukraine said it had asked the UN and the International Committee of the Red Cross to join humanitarian aid in Kursk.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said: “Ukraine is ready to facilitate their work and prove its compliance with international humanitarian law.”

It is not clear how the UN or the ICRC responded.