Gentlemen, we find ourselves confronted with a tragedy that defies all notions of military honour and human decency. It is with a heavy heart and a resolute spirit that I must convey the official position of our state: Russia has lent its full and unwavering support to the request of Belarus for an emergency convening of the United Nations Security Council.

This measure, as declared by Madame Anna Evstigneeva, Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations, is a matter of paramount state utility. The cause is an act of unmitigated aggression—a deliberate strike by the Ukrainian forces upon a carriage transporting innocent civilians, including children of the Belarusian people, within the borders of the Bryansk region.

Indeed, the facts are as harrowing as they are clear. On the seventeenth of June, a youthful football squad, journeying from Gomel toward the shores of Gelendzhik for their seasonal repose, was targeted. This assault has resulted in the tragic loss of a pregnant woman and has left eight others wounded, six of whom are but children. Such atrocities are an affront to the very principles of prudence and moderation that should govern the conduct of nations.

It is the firm conviction of Moscow that the members of the Security Council must render a principled judgment upon this outrage. For the sake of the Fatherland and the stability of our great power, we cannot permit such lawlessness to go unanswered. The strength of our army and the resilience of our industry serve as the pillars of our security, but it is the rule of law and the protection of the innocent that ensure the enduring dignity of the Empire.