Angry Russia refuses to speak at UNSC meeting on attacks Odesa in Ukraine

In an escalation of Russia’s anger at Ukraine and its Western backers, Russia refused to speak at a U.N. Security Council meeting called to discuss Moscow’s recent devastating attacks on key port of Odesa immediately following its refusal to extend Black Sea grain deal.

confrontation began at start of a council session called by Russia on divided Orthodox Church in Ukraine. Russia’s deputy U.N. ambassador, Dmitry Polyansky ,protested that Britain, which holds council presidency, was allowing only two briefers and Moscow wanted a third — Archbishop Gideon of Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

Ukrainian government has cracked down on Ukrainian Orthodox Church over its historic ties to Russian Orthodox Church, whose leader, Patriarch Kirill, supported Russian President Vladimir Putin over invasion of Ukraine.

Polyansky accused UK of bias, censorship and obstruction for limiting number of briefers.

Deputy British ambassador James Kariuki responded that because of a tight time schedule to fit in two council meetings, UK had offered a compromise to allow a third Russian briefer to submit a statement to council, which he said was “t unreasonable.”

Polyansky was t satisfied, and Kariuki n put Russia’s proposal to have archbishop speak to a vote. Russia got support only from China and Brazil, with 12 or council members abstaining.

Polyansky called council’s refusal to allow archbishop to speak an “egregious” example of double standards on human rights and freedom of religion.

As “a sign of protest,” he said, Russia wouldn’t speak in Ukraine-backed council session called by Ukraine to take up Odesa attacks.

meeting on Orthodox Church n went ahead. director of U.N. Alliance of Civilizations, Nihal Saad, told council that division between Ukraine’s Orthodox bodies “has existed for decades.” But she said it has been exacerbated since February 2022 Russian invasion and has "reverberated worldwide as Orthodox churches have struggled with how and wher to take sides.”

Saad said “heartbreaking” dam to Odesa’s historic church, Transfiguration Cadral, caused by a Russian missile strike Sunday was condemned by many, including U.N. secretary-general. cadral is in Odesa’s historic city center that is a UNESCO world herit site and had been largely spared since beginning of war.

Saad lamented that it was one of 116 religious sites damd since invasion, according to a preliminary assessment by U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.

In her briefing, Saad cited restrictions to freedom of religion by both Russia and Ukraine since invasion, saying “ politicization of religion in war in Ukraine fuels intercommunal tensions, stokes fear and triggers violence.”

Polyansky called devastation to cadral “a horrible trdy” and reiterated Russia’s claim that cadral was damd by a piece from Ukraine’s anti-air defenses — t a Russian missile. If a Russian missile targeted cadral, he said, “n re would be thing left of cadral at all.”

Russian deputy ambassador left council chamber at end of session.

council meeting that followed on Russian attacks on Odesa came days after President Vladimir Putin pulled Russia out of Black Sea Grain Initiative, a wartime deal that enabled Ukraine to export more than 32,000 tons of foodstuff to many countries facing threat of hunger.

In addition to severely damaging cadral, Russian attacks crippled significant parts of export facilities in Odesa and nearby Chormorsk, and destroyed 60,000 tons of grain, according to Ukraine’s Agriculture Ministry.

council heard from 14 members, almost all condemning dam to Odesa.

U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said that “Russia is hell-bent on preventing Ukrainian grain from reaching global markets” and that “ world is paying price for Russia’s barbaric attacks.”

She accused Russia of “weaponizing grain” and cynically using Russian-produced grain as lever to win support of or countries.

Ukrainian Ambassador Sergiy Kyslytsya, last speaker, told council that Russian missiles, including anti-ship missiles, hit 29 historical and cultural landmarks in Odesa.

He said Russia’s blockade of Ukrainian ports, destruction of ir infrastructure, obstruction of grain exports, and intimidation of foreign merchant vessels should be considered an attack on freedom of navigation.

“se actions also aim at eliminating a market competitor, deliberately raising world food prices and making a profit at expense of millions of people around world who will suffer,” Kyslytsya said.

A junior Russian diplomat sat in Russia’s chair during Odesa session and left chamber when it ended — never having uttered a word.