Speech of Head of the National Centre for Defence Control of the Russian Federation Colonel General Mikhail Mizintsev
The special military operation in Ukraine with its corresponding objectives and tasks was preceded by an eight-year period of a highly grave humanitarian disaster in Donbass that made more than 6.5 million persons to be victims of violations of human rights and caused deaths of more than 14.5 thousand persons. The almost daily shelling carried out by the Armed Forces of Ukraine and nationalist battalions caused 4,115 infrastructure buildings destroyed and 55,310 damaged, including residential buildings, educational establishments, hospitals and many other social facilities.
Over these eight years, 19.5 per cent of the infrastructure of the Donetsk and Lugansk people' s republics has been completely destroyed and up to 37 per cent damaged by the use of heavy weaponry from Ukraine.
From April 2014 to February 2022, 1,451,304 refugees had been displaced just to the Russian Federation.
Due to a rapid aggravation of the situation and increase of the shelling intensity on the territory of Donbass, only from 18 to 23 of February the number of refugees had rapidly increased; during these six days, the border of Russia has been crossed by 106,946 persons.
The rest of the population - 3,600,940 people, including civilians, mostly elderly, children, women and some vulnerable groups - continued to be shelled every day, in basements without any basic conditions for life - no water, heat, electricity, food or medicines.
This period comparable with two Great Patriotic Wars 1941-1945 in terms of timeline caused numerous victims every day.
Meanwhile, the countries of the so-called "civilised" West, led by the United States of America, have deliberately kept silent about all this, showing complete indifference to the fate of millions of residents of the Donetsk and Lugansk people' republics.
The special military operation commenced in the conditions of this highly grave humanitarian crisis.
Since 4 March, the Russian Federation has been providing humanitarian corridors on a daily basis, exclusively for humanitarian purposes, in the directions of Kiev, Chernigov, Sumy, Kharkov and Mariupol, of which one humanitarian corridor to Russia and one more through Kiev-controlled territories towards Ukraine's western borders.
The Ukrainian side has never confirmed a single humanitarian corridor towards the Russian Federation for the entire period.
At the same time, we coordinate all additional humanitarian corridors proposed by Kiev on a daily basis.
The Russian Armed Forces strictly observe ceasefire on all routes, despite the fact that this slows down the pace of conducting a special military operation. But this is done solely in the interests of saving civilians.
And on the Ukrainian side, systematic shelling of humanitarian convoys and attempts to shift responsibility for their own inhumane acts to units of Russian troops continue. So, this week alone, 17 attacks on civilians traveling along humanitarian corridors were recorded, including the cynical shelling of a convoy of refugees from Mariupol.
In the face of tough opposition from the official authorities of Ukraine, since the beginning of the special military operation, 419,736 people, including 88,373 children, have been evacuated to Russia from dangerous areas of Ukraine, Donetsk and Lugansk people's republics. 49,362 units of personal motor transport crossed the state border of the Russian Federation.
Without any participation of the Ukrainian side, nine thousand foreign citizens who applied for help were assisted in the evacuation.
Russia continues to work on the preparation, delivery and distribution of humanitarian aid to the civilian population of the liberated territories.
A total of 5,043 tons of basic necessities, food packages, including baby food, vital medicines and hygiene products were delivered. 617 humanitarian actions were carried out in Donetsk and Lugansk people's republics, Kiev, Chernigov, Sumy, Kharkov, Zaporozhye, Kherson and Nikolaev regions.
All Ukrainian prisoners in the Russian Federation are treated as required by the norms of international humanitarian law. They are kept in decent conditions, provided with three meals a day, timely and qualified medical care is provided to them. They are not subjected to violence or psychological pressure. Everyone is given the opportunity to contact relatives.
Interaction with the International Committee of the Red Cross on these issues is organized.
At the same time, the Ukrainian authorities, against the general background of the lawlessness that reigns everywhere in Ukraine, grossly violate elementary humane norms, not to mention the requirements of the Geneva conventions,
regarding the treatment of prisoners of war.
Despite this, or most likely contrary to what the Kiev authorities are doing, the Russian side will continue to treat Ukrainian prisoners of war humanely and respectfully.
Being aware of the nature of all the existing difficulties, as well as the essence, the origins and the character of the provocations carried out by the Kiev regime, considering the passiveness of the international organizations, the Russian Federation will continue opening and maintaining humanitarian corridors every day and informing the Ukrainian party and all the international community.
The Minister of Defence of the Russian Federation General of the Army Sergei Shoigu reports regularly to the leadership of the country as the implementation of the special military operation, as the efforts adopted by the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation to provide humanitarian aid and security at the liberated territories.