UN-BELIEVABLE
Shocking moment Putin crony childishly INTERRUPTS minute’s silence for victims of Ukraine war at UN security council
THIS is the shocking moment one of Vladimir Putin's cronies childishly interrupted a minute's silence for victims of the war in Ukraine.
Members of the UN Security Council were forced to sit back down as Russia's envoy repeatedly tapped his mic and demanded to make a statement.
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Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba proposed a minute of silence in memory of "victims of the aggression" on the first anniversary of the war on Friday.
At least 100,000 of each side’s soldiers are estimated to have been killed or injured, thousands more civilians have died and more than 13 million people have been displaced inside Ukraine.
But as other members stood, Moscow's UN representative Vasily Nebenzya remained seated and began knocking his mic with his pencil.
He was then given the floor to make a statement at the session in New York City.
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Nebenzya told the session: "We are getting up on our feet to remember all victims of what has happened in Ukraine, starting in 2014.
"All of those who perished, all lives are priceless."
It is thought Nebenzya was referencing those killed in heavy fighting between Ukrainian forces and pro-Russian separatists in Donbas since 2014.
Nebenzya's outburst came as the rest of the world united yesterday to mark a year since the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
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But Russian TV failed to mention the anniversary while the Kremlin avoided issuing a comment on the landmark date.
The Institute for the Study of War said this was "because Russia has failed to achieve any of its stated objectives and has not made significant territorial gains since July 2022".
President Volodymyr Zelensky meanwhile insisted victory was inevitable if the aid kept coming.
And in a rousing speech in capital Kyiv, he said his courageous citizens could look back on the past 12 months with pride.
As allies imposed further sanctions aimed at crippling Putin’s war machine, Mr Zelensky said in a national address: “It was a year of resilience. A year of care. A year of bravery.
“A year of pain. A year of hope. A year of endurance. A year of unity.
"The year of invincibility. The furious year of invincibility.
“Its main result is that we endured. We were not defeated. And we will do everything to gain victory this year.”
Speaking at an open-air medal ceremony with army chief General Valeriy Zaluzhny, Mr Zelensky said every Ukrainian had lost someone — “a father, a son, a brother, a mother, a daughter, a sister, a loved one”.
He vowed: “We will never forget them. We will never forgive that.”
Joining Mr Zelensky in Kyiv, Poland PM Mateusz Morawiecki revealed four of his country’s German-built Leopard 2 tanks had already arrived in Ukraine, with ten more to follow.
Berlin increased its commitment from 14 to 18 tanks, Sweden has announced about ten, as well as air defence missiles, while Finland pledged to send three tanks.
Portugal, Spain, Norway and Canada have pledged a further 25 Leopard 2s.
The UK will send 14 Challenger 2s and announced fresh sanctions including an export ban on “every item Russia has been found using on the battlefield to date”.
The Foreign Office said that the list included aircraft parts, radio equipment, and electronics.
The US is sending 31 Abrams M1 tanks. And Washington announced an extra £1.7billion for drones as Defence Secretary Loyd Austin warned Ukraine allies to prepare “for the long haul”.
It comes as Putin ally Alexander Lukashenko prepares to visit China amid fears Beijing could arm Russian soldiers.
The Belarus dictator, who has backed the war, will meet with Xi Jinping during his trip, which begins on February 28 and ends on March 2.
Rishi Sunak earlier this week warned China not to support Putin's "brutal and illegal" war following claims from the US that XI is considering supplying arms to Russia.
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