Russian soldiers' final text: ‘Mama, I’m afraid’ In Ukraine


‘Mama, I’m afraid’: Dead Russian soldier’s text messages to mother revealed

Ukraine’s ambassador to the United Nations has read out alleged text messages between a Russian soldier and his mother “moments before he was killed”.


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Ukraine’s ambassador to the United Nations has read out alleged text messages between a Russian soldier and his mother “moments before he was killed”.

Speaking during an emergency special session of the UN General Assembly on Monday, Sergiy Kyslytsya held up what he said was a screenshot from the dead soldier’s smartphone.

“Mama, I’m no longer in Crimea – I’m not in training sessions,” the soldier reportedly wrote, after his mother asked why it had been so long since he responded.

“Mama, I’m in Ukraine. There is a real war raging here. I’m afraid. We are bombing all of the cities together, even targeting civilians. We were told that they would welcome us. They are falling under our armoured vehicles, throwing themselves under the wheels and not allowing us to pass. They call us fascists. Mama, this is so hard.”

Mr Kyslytsya likened Russian President Vladimir Putin to “the man in the bunker” who perished in Berlin in May, 1945.

Facing deepening isolation on the world stage, Russia faced a crucial test of support Monday as the 193 members of the UN General Assembly held the rare emergency special session – just the 11th the Assembly has held in its history – to debate on a resolution condemning Moscow’s “unprovoked armed aggression” in Ukraine.

During the meeting, Russia defended its decision to invade its neighbour as nation after nation urged peace from the podium.

Ukrainian Ambassador to the @UN@SergiyKyslytsya reads text messages between a Russian soldier and his mother moments before he was killed.⁰

"Mama, I'm in Ukraine. There is a real war raging here. I'm afraid. We are bombing all of the cities...even targeting civilians."

On the sidelines, the United States said it was expelling from the country 12 “intelligence operatives” at Russia’s United Nations mission for “engaging in espionage activities that are adverse to our national security”.

Inside the General Assembly hall, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, pleaded, “The fighting in Ukraine must stop. Enough is enough.”

Representatives of more than 100 countries are expected to speak over three days as the global body decides if it will support a resolution that demands Russia immediately withdraws its troops from Ukraine.

A vote is expected Wednesday, and it must reach a two-thirds threshold to pass. The resolution is non-binding but will serve as a marker of how isolated Russia is.

Its authors hope they may exceed 100 votes in favour — though countries including Syria, China, Cuba and India are expected to either support Russia or abstain.

“We do not feel isolated,” Russia’s UN ambassador Vassily Nebenzia told reporters.

He reiterated Moscow’s stance, flatly rejected by Kyiv and its Western allies, that its military operation was launched to protect residents of breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine.

“The hostilities were unleashed by Ukraine against its own residents,” he said during his address.

The vote is also being seen as a barometer of democracy in a world where autocratic sentiment has been on the rise, diplomats said, pointing to such regimes in Myanmar, Sudan, Mali, Burkina Faso, Venezuela, Nicaragua — and of course Russia.

“If Ukraine does not survive, the United Nations will not survive. Have no illusions,” said Mr Kyslytsya.

Russian President Vladimir Putin launched the full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24. Moscow has pleaded “self-defence” under Article 51 of the UN Charter.

But that has been roundly rejected by Western countries and the United Nations itself. They accuse Moscow of violating Article 2 of the Charter, requiring members to refrain from the threat or use of force to resolve a crisis.

Addressing the General Assembly, British ambassador Barbara Woodward said the war was “unprovoked, unjustified”.

The resolution would be “a message to the world – that the rules we built together must be defended”, she added. “Because otherwise, who might be next?”

China’s UN envoy Zhang Jun warned that “nothing can be gained from starting off a new Cold War”, but did not indicate how Beijing would vote.

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The move to hold the emergency session was sparked by Russia using its veto Friday to block a similarly-worded Security Council resolution.

Council members can turn to the General Assembly if the five permanent members — Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States — fail to agree to act together to maintain