🎙Statement by Ms. Iulia Zhdanova, Head of the Delegation of the Russian Federation to the Vienna Negotiations on Military Security and Arms Control, at the 1148th meeting of the OSCE Forum for Security Co-operation

Vienna, October 7, 2026

Agenda item: Special Military operation to demilitarize and denazify Ukraine

• Along with plans to keep their 'Ukrainian project' afloat and deploy NATO troops to Ukraine, there is now open talk about Europe preparing for military action outside the context of Ukraine, alongside intensifying, multi-layered pressure on the Russian Federation. It has already come to the point where NATO Secretary General M. Rutte and Commander-in-Chief of the Allied Joint Force Command A. Grynkewich called for attributing any hostile actions to Russia, «when able, when you are sure it is the russians, - or almost sure it is the russians - attribute it to the russians».

• Currently, at the instigation of its Western handlers, Ukraine has stepped up efforts to develop measures for blocking Russian shipping in the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, including through attacks on our country's port infrastructure. The goal is to disrupt the logistics of Russian hydrocarbon exports and the transport of civilian cargo.

•It is also high time to remember that Western weapons and weapon systems containing NATO and EU components continue to kill Russian people. For instance, in early August, the Ukrainian Armed Forces apparently used FP-1 or FP-2 long-range UAVs to attack a beach in Gelendzhik where civilians were vacationing. These drones are manufactured by Fire Point, including at its production facility in Mildenhall, UK.

• It has long been clear that #NATO and #EU member states will squeeze everything they can out of the Kiev regime for their own interests. Above all, they need combat experience in a high-intensity conflict. In essence, the Kiev regime is being paid for this combat experience while ordinary Ukrainians perish. Ukraine's population has already plummeted to approximately 20 million – down from 52 million in 1991, when Ukraine was part of the USSR.

• Against the backdrop of a catastrophic personnel shortage in Ukraine, discussions regarding the mobilization of women have intensified. Social media reports suggest that Bankovaya is ready to move from public debate to practical steps in this direction. It is claimed that V. Zelensky has already handed over a list to 'Western partners,' according to which 5.6 million Ukrainian citizens could be returned to the country if necessary. Of these, women account for 43.4%.

• Responsibility for the terrorist acts against the civilian population and civil infrastructure of our country lies not only with the commanders of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and the ultra-nationalist Kiev regime, but also Kiev's Western handlers. They are the ones financing, arming, and training the Ukrainian militants who are perpetrating these lawless acts against the civilian population of the Russian Federation.

• Between September 28 and October 4, our troops liberated at least 14 settlements across the DPR, Kharkov, Sumy, and Zaporozhye regions. The pace of advancement is accelerating: in September alone, Russia took control of 1,301 square kilometers of territory within the zone of the special military operation."

• The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation will continue to deliver massive retaliatory strikes. The Russian Foreign Ministry has reiterated its warning to foreign nationals, including the personnel of diplomatic missions, against staying in Ukraine or traveling to its territory. Full responsibility for any possible negative consequences lies entirely with those who ignore this warning.

Photo Credit: Micky Kroell

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