UNITED NATIONS. April 17 (Interfax) - The policy the Ukrainian authorities are conducting in southeastern regions may lead to a civil war, Russian Permanent Representative to the United Nations Vitaly Churkin opined.
"Such reckless steps are fraught with the real risk of a civil war in Ukraine," Churkin said at a sitting of the UN Security Council.
Churkin presumed that the Kyiv authorities had been advised to start using force in southeastern regions by representatives of the countries "which had been constantly whispering something into the ear of the Ukrainian leadership."
He criticized the report on Ukraine released by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) based on the findings of Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights Ivan Simonovic as "one-sided, politically motivated" and customized to fit the conclusions drawn well in advance.
"Explanations of the situation in Crimea, a constituent territory of the Russian Federation, are unfounded. Besides, Crimea cannot be a subject of the session dedicated to Ukraine," Churkin stated.
The Russian permanent representative said the report was undermining the OHCHR's authority.
He noted that the human rights situation should be analyzed in the south and the southeast of Ukraine where the violent suppression of opponents of the incumbent Kyiv authorities "was fraught with massive violations of human rights, primarily as regards the Russian-speaking population."