Fact Check

Yes, Ukraine's UN Ambassador Said This About War Criminals

The comment that such criminals go "straight to hell" was directed at his Russian counterpart.

Published Feb. 24, 2022

 (Screenshot, Reuters YouTube channel)
Image Via Screenshot, Reuters YouTube channel
Claim:
Ukrainian ambassador to the United Nations Sergiy Kyslytsya said war criminals go "straight to hell" when confronting his Russian counterpart.

On the night of Feb. 23, 2022 (New York time), Ukraine's ambassador to the United Nations, Sergiy Kyslytsya, had some choice words for his Russian counterpart upon receiving news that Russia had invaded Ukraine.

"There is no purgatory for war criminals. They go straight to hell," Kyslytsya stated. His comments were translated to English and can be heard in the video below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-LVgKv70d0

Kyslytsya made the statement while confronting Russian ambassador to the U.N. Vasily Nebenzya during an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council. The Council met in hopes of preventing an attack by Russia on Ukraine, but Russia invaded during the meeting.

During his commentary, Kyslytsya called on Nebenzya to relinquish his role as rotating chair of the Council.


Sources

Fassihi, Farnaz. “The U.N. Security Council Met to Prevent Military Action by Putin. Russia Invaded Ukraine as They Spoke.” The New York Times, 24 Feb. 2022. NYTimes.com, https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/24/world/europe/un-security-council-russia-ukraine.html.

Loh, Matthew. “UN Ambassadors Consoled Ukraine’s Distraught Representative after Russia Declared a Military Assault on His Country.” Business Insider, 24 Feb. 2022, https://www.businessinsider.com/un-ambassadors-comfort-ukraine-rep-amid-news-of-russian-assault-2022-2.

“No Purgatory for War Criminals,” Says Ukraine’s U.N. Ambassador. www.youtube.com, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-LVgKv70d0. Accessed 24 Feb. 2022.

Bethania Palma is a journalist from the Los Angeles area who started her career as a daily newspaper reporter and has covered everything from crime to government to national politics. She has written for ... read more

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