Right of Reply by Ukraine

RIGHT OF REPLY BY THE DELEGATION OF UKRAINE As delivered by Ms Viktoria Kuvshynnykova, Deputy Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the International Organizations in Vienna 1573 rd meeting of the OSCE Permanent Council Agenda Item 5, “Any other Business” (16 July 2026) Mr Chairperson, I would like to exercises my right of reply in response to the statement by the Russian delegation. First of all, we cannot leave unanswered yet another attempt by the Russian Federation to disguise its own crimes against Ukrainian children through propaganda. Particularly cynical was Russia’s decision to make the main speaker of this event Maria Lvova-Belova, who is subject to an International Criminal Court arrest warrant for the alleged war crime of unlawful deportation and transfer of Ukrainian children. This event was also an attempt to discredit and divert attention from the findings of the sixth OSCE Moscow Mechanism report, presented just days earlier, which documented Russia’s systematic policy of indoctrination, militarisation, unlawful deportation and forced transfer of Ukrainian children, as well as other grave violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law. The facts are clear. Russia’s unlawful deportation and forced transfer of Ukrainian children have been documented by numerous independent international mechanisms, including the OSCE Moscow Mechanism, the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine and other international bodies. No propaganda event can erase the fact that the International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants against Vladimir Putin and Maria Lvova-Belova in connection with these alleged war crimes. Instead of spreading disinformation, Russia should disclose the whereabouts of all unlawfully transferred Ukrainian children, facilitate their safe return, grant international organisations unrestricted access and comply with its obligations under international law. Ukraine will continue working with international partners to bring every Ukrainian child home and ensure accountability for these crimes. Thank you, Mr Chairperson. PC.DEL/774/26 23 July 2026 ENGLISH only The OSCE Secretariat bears no responsibility for the content of this document and circulates it without altering its content. The distribution by OSCE Conference Services of this document is without prejudice to OSCE decisions, as set out in documents agreed by OSCE participating States.