Russian diplomat Boris Bondarev resigns to protest Putin's 'catastrophic' war in Ukraine

A twenty-year veteran of Russia’s diplomatic service resigned on Monday in protests against his country’s “unprovoked" military invasion of Ukraine. Boris Bondarev took to LinkedIn to slam Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin’s so-called military operation in Ukraine and said that the letter Z (the country’s war symbol) has crossed all prospects of a free society in Russia. In a rare affirmation, the official also labelled military aggression as a “crime” against the people of both countries.

"For twenty years of my diplomatic career I have seen different turns of our foreign policy, but never have I been so ashamed of my country as on February 24 of this year," Bondarev wrote adding that “The aggressive war unleashed by Putin against Ukraine, and in fact against the entire Western world, is not only a crime against the Ukrainian people but also, perhaps, the most serious crime against the people of Russia, with a bold letter Z crossing out all hopes and prospects for a prosperous free society in our country."

Bondarev further blamed corruption and the desire to remain in power as the main reasons behind hundreds of thousands of people dying on Ukrainian soil. "Those who conceived this war want only one thing -- to remain in power forever, live in pompous tasteless palaces, sail on yachts comparable in tonnage and cost to the entire Russian Navy, enjoying unlimited power and complete impunity. To achieve that they are willing to sacrifice as many lives as it takes. Thousands of Russians and Ukrainians have already died just for this," he wrote. 

'Lies, hatred and unprofessionalism' 

In his post, the top official also slammed the Russian Foreign Ministry for spreading ‘lies” and ever-increasing "unprofessionalism.” He highlighted that “instead of unbiased information, impartial analysis and sober forecasting, there are propaganda clichés in the spirit of Soviet newspapers of the 1930s”. Bondarev also said that in present times, the ministry wasn’t about diplomacy but warmongering, lies and hatred. 

"Russia no longer has allies, and there is no one to blame but its reckless and ill-conceived policy," he said. His remarks came as Russia's military war on Ukraine completed three months on Tuesday. 

(Image: Boris Bonderev/Linkedin)