Offended Russia refuses to talk at UN assembly on its assaults on Ukraine’s key port metropolis of Odesa.

UNITED NATIONS — In an escalation of Russia’s anger at Ukraine and its Western backers, Russia refused to talk at a U.N. Safety Council assembly known as to debate Moscow’s current devastating assaults on the important thing port of Odesa instantly following its refusal to increase the Black Sea grain deal.

The confrontation started in the beginning of a council session known as by Russia on the divided Orthodox Church in Ukraine. Russia’s deputy U.N. ambassador, Dmitry Polyansky ,protested that Britain, which holds the council presidency, was permitting solely two briefers and Moscow wished a 3rd — Archbishop Gideon of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

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

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

Deputy British ambassador James Kariuki responded that due to a decent time schedule to slot in two council conferences, the UK had provided a compromise to permit a 3rd Russian briefer to submit an announcement to the council, which he stated was “not unreasonable.”

Polyansky was not happy, and Kariuki then put Russia’s proposal to have the archbishop converse to a vote. Russia received help solely from China and Brazil, with the 12 different council members abstaining.

Polyansky known as the council’s refusal to permit the archbishop to talk an “egregious” instance of double requirements on human rights and freedom of faith.

As “an indication of protest,” he stated, Russia wouldn’t converse within the Ukraine-backed council session known as by Ukraine to take up the Odesa assaults.

The assembly on the Orthodox Church then went forward. The director of the U.N. Alliance of Civilizations, Nihal Saad, informed the council that the division between Ukraine’s Orthodox our bodies “has existed for many years.” However she stated it has been exacerbated for the reason that February 2022 Russian invasion and has “reverberated worldwide as Orthodox church buildings have struggled with how and whether or not to take sides.”

Saad stated the “heartbreaking” harm to Odesa’s historic church, the Transfiguration Cathedral, brought on by a Russian missile strike Sunday was condemned by many, together with the U.N. secretary-general. The cathedral is in Odesa’s historic metropolis heart that could be a UNESCO world heritage website and had been largely spared for the reason that starting of the struggle.

Saad lamented that it was considered one of 116 non secular websites broken for the reason that invasion, in keeping with a preliminary evaluation by the U.N. Instructional, Scientific and Cultural Group.

In her briefing, Saad cited restrictions to freedom of faith by each Russia and Ukraine for the reason that invasion, saying “the politicization of faith within the struggle in Ukraine fuels intercommunal tensions, stokes concern and triggers violence.”

Polyansky known as the devastation to the cathedral “a horrible tragedy” and reiterated Russia’s declare that the cathedral was broken by a bit from Ukraine’s anti-air defenses — not a Russian missile. If a Russian missile focused the cathedral, he stated, “then there can be nothing left of the cathedral in any respect.”

The Russian deputy ambassador left the council chamber on the finish of the session.

The council assembly that adopted on the Russian assaults on Odesa got here days after President Vladimir Putin pulled Russia out of the Black Sea Grain Initiative, a wartime deal that enabled Ukraine to export greater than 32,000 tons of foodstuff to many international locations going through the specter of starvation.

Along with severely damaging the cathedral, the Russian assaults crippled vital components of export amenities in Odesa and close by Chornomorsk, and destroyed 60,000 tons of grain, in keeping with Ukraine’s Agriculture Ministry.

The council heard from 14 members, nearly all condemning the harm to Odesa.

U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield stated that “Russia is hell-bent on stopping Ukrainian grain from reaching world markets” and that “the world is paying the value for Russia’s barbaric assaults.”

She accused Russia of “weaponizing grain” and cynically utilizing Russian-produced grain as leverage to win the help of different international locations.

Ukrainian Ambassador Sergiy Kyslytsya, the final speaker, informed the council that Russian missiles, together with anti-ship missiles, hit 29 historic and cultural landmarks in Odesa.

He stated Russia’s blockade of Ukrainian ports, destruction of their infrastructure, obstruction of grain exports, and intimidation of international service provider vessels needs to be thought of an assault on freedom of navigation.

“These actions additionally intention at eliminating a market competitor, intentionally elevating world meals costs and making a revenue on the expense of the thousands and thousands of individuals world wide who will endure,” Kyslytsya stated.

A junior Russian diplomat sat in Russia’s chair in the course of the Odesa session and left the chamber when it ended — by no means having uttered a phrase.