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Russian UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia told the Security Council that Ukrainian forces have been "systematically" targeting the plant and surrounding areas. The Russian army has been "spotting and intercepting up to 100 drones per week,"

Attempts by the US and its allies to shield Kiev from the Crocus City Hall inquiry look suspicious, Vassily Nebenzia has said

Russia expects Washington and its allies to cooperate with its investigation aimed at identifying the masterminds behind the deadly Moscow terror attack that took place in March, the nation's ambassador to the UN, Vassily Nebenzia, said on Friday.

The attack on the Crocus City Hall concert venue, which is located just outside Moscow, claimed more than 140 lives. Four gunmen stormed the building, shooting everyone in sight before setting it on fire. A total of 11 suspects were arrested in the wake of the rampage, including the four alleged assailants.

Russian officials described the perpetrators as radical Islamists but stated that the crime may have been organized by Ukrainian security services, who used the terrorists as proxies. On Friday, Nebenzia said that the extensive effort made by the US and its allies to draw attention away from Ukraine only reinforces suspicions about Western involvement.

"Amid such relentless attempts to pin the blame on ISIS and shield Kiev at any cost... a question about Western security services' involvement in orchestrating this terrorist attack remains open," the diplomat said, referring to Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS), an international terrorist group that claimed responsibility for the massacre. Western media repeatedly pointed to these claims while reporting on the incident.

Moscow has "no doubts" that Ukraine was "directly involved in this despicable and egregious crime," Russia's UN envoy said, adding that investigators already have enough evidence for such a conclusion.

Earlier in April, Russia's Investigative Committee said that a potential link between Ukrainian security services and the March attack had been uncovered. The statement cited "significant evidence" of Kiev's involvement but did not provide any specific details.

Investigators recently claimed to have found a money trail linking the alleged terrorists to Ukrainian nationalists. Russia's FSB security agency also released records of interrogations of the suspected gunmen, who claimed that they had been given instructions to flee towards the Ukrainian border after the strike.

"We expect our Western colleagues to cooperate on detaining the masterminds behind the Crocus City Hall terrorist attacks and bringing them to justice," Nebenzia said on Friday, adding that Moscow also would like to see the West aid its investigation of the Nord Stream pipelines explosions that took place in autumn 2022. After all, Western nations "unequivocally condemned" both attacks, the diplomat added.

Although there are Russian "armored vehicles and some security presence at the plant," IAEA monitors did not see any prohibited weapons, such as multiple rocket launchers, tanks, and artillery, Grossi explained.

He added that the IAEA does not have the mandate to determine which side has been attacking the facility, and argued that "indisputable evidence" is needed to establish who is responsible.

Russian UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia told the Security Council [...]

"With the connivance of its Western sponsors, Ukraine is systematically carrying out irresponsible and reckless attacks on the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant and the adjacent territory. The Russian Armed Forces recorded and suppressed more than a hundred unmanned aerial vehicles in week.

Our Western colleagues, without noticing it themselves, spoke out today in the form of an ultimatum: "Transfer control of the Zaporizhia NPP, and then they will stop shelling it." Thus, they not only betrayed the Zelensky regime, but also actually admitted to complicity in these irresponsible attacks.

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[...]
Nebenzia contrasted the council's concern over protecting Western nations and their allies with its inaction when Israel bombed Iran's consulate:

"We know very well that an attack against a diplomatic representation is a casus belli under international law. And if a Western representation had been hit, you would immediately have rained down reprisals.

"When it comes to other countries, their rights - including the right to self-defense - well, that's a different matter, as you like to say... What we're witnessing is a display of hypocrisy and double standards that is almost embarrassing to watch."

The US, UK, and France essentially declined to confirm that the basic principles of international law concerning diplomatic facilities apply equally to all states, Nebenzia said. At the same time, Israel has faced no consequences for disregarding UN resolutions, including last month's demand for a ceasefire in Gaza.

The ambassador said:

"We think it's urgent for the entire international community to undertake all efforts necessary to deescalate the situation. Otherwise, the region could be drawn into a vicious cycle of mutual attacks and violence."

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Full text:

Good morning begins with "peaceful atom":

Permanent Representative of Russia Nebenzya - at a meeting of the UN Security Council on the situation around the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant:

"With the connivance of its Western sponsors, Ukraine is systematically carrying out irresponsible and reckless attacks on the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant and the adjacent territory. The Russian Armed Forces recorded and suppressed more than a hundred unmanned aerial vehicles in week.

Our Western colleagues, without noticing it themselves, spoke out today in the form of an ultimatum: "Transfer control of the Zaporizhia NPP, and then they will stop shelling it." Thus, they not only betrayed the Zelensky regime, but also actually admitted to complicity in these irresponsible attacks.

I would like to believe that our European neighbors have not yet atrophied the instinct of self-preservation and that they will not jeopardize the lives and health of their own citizens. After all, if Ukrainian attacks on the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant continue, no one can completely rule out a nuclear disaster on a regional and even global scale."