Lavrov Says Ukraine Obviously Had Hand in Crocus Terrorist Attack

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - It is obvious that Ukraine was involved in the terrorist attack in the Crocus City Hall concert venue on March 22, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Thursday.

"This terrorist attack, as you know, is now being actively investigated by the Investigative Committee and the Prosecutor General's Office, other competent authorities. It is already obvious ... that there was a Ukrainian trace, especially since Ukraine's involvement in many other terrorist attacks on Russian territory is no longer in doubt," Lavrov said at the round table with ambassadors of over 70 countries dedicated to the Ukrainian crisis.

On March 22, several armed men broke into Crocus City Hall and started shooting at people. They also started a fire in one of the auditoriums, which was full of people ahead of a concert. The attack left 695 casualties, including 144 dead, according to the latest data from the Russian Emergencies Ministry. The four main suspects in the case — all of them citizens of Tajikistan — tried to flee the scene in a car but were detained and charged with terrorism. Russian authorities believe their plan was to flee to Ukraine, where the masterminds of the attack had arranged a safe haven for them. An investigation is underway.

Aid to Ukraine Planned to Be Made Obligatory for NATO Members

Providing aid to Ukraine is planned to be made obligatory for NATO members, Lavrov added.

"Now they want to turn voluntary military assistance to Ukraine withing NATO into mandatory military assistance. To force all NATO members through strict discipline to sign up for the mandatory provision of funding and weapons to the Kiev regime," Lavrov said at the round table with ambassadors of over 70 countries dedicated to the Ukrainian crisis.

Western countries have been providing military and financial aid to Kiev since the start of Russia's military operation in Ukraine in February 2022. The Kremlin has consistently warned against continued arms deliveries to Kiev, saying it would lead to further escalation of the conflict. In April 2022, Russia sent a diplomatic note to all NATO countries on the issue of arms supplies to Ukraine. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov warned that any cargo containing weapons for Ukraine would become a legitimate target for Russia.

Kiev Has Nothing to tell UN About Protecting Human Rights in Ukraine

Ukraine will have nothing to report to the UN on the issue of respect for human rights, which is why it is shirking this duty, Sergey Lavrov has said.

"Until recently, no country evaded such a Universal Periodic Review (UPR) on its own. But now the principle of global coverage has been discredited by Kiev. .... Ukrainians do not want to report on how they observe human rights, especially since they have presented themselves as the ideal fighters against discrimination, because they know: they have nothing to report," Lavrov said.

Lavrov stressed that under pressure from the West, the Human Rights Council decided to allow Ukraine not to report on the implementation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 2023, as it was supposed to do, the report was postponed to 2027.

West to Not Take Into Account Opinion of Global South on 'Zelensky Formula'

The West will not take into account the opinion of global south countries during discussions on he peace plan proposed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, "only marginal changes" are possible, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Thursday.

"All this is heard, but not taken into account in any way. And it will not be taken into account. Some marginal clarifications are possible, but the essence of the 'Zelenskyy formula' as an ultimatum remains unchanged," Lavrov said at the round table with ambassadors of over 70 countries dedicated to the Ukrainian crisis.