UN reports on human rights in Ukraine 'biased'

MOSCOW -- The United Nations report on the human rights situation in Ukraine were "biased" and "politicized," Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said Thursday.

"We still see no objective approach and no unbiased assessments from the authors of this document. The authors continue using selective information and making fairly biased conclusions," Lukashevich said at a briefing in Moscow.

The spokesman stressed that Ukraine is on the verge of a humanitarian catastrophe especially as the cold season nears.

"According to our estimates, the humanitarian situation in the country is close to disaster, especially as the cold winter season is around the corner," RIA Novosti quoted Lukashevich as saying.

Meanwhile, he said accusations of Russia's direct involvement in the situation in Ukraine are absurd. "We were surprised by absurd claims about the so-called 'direct involvement' of Russia in the situation in eastern Ukraine," Lukashevich said when commenting on a recent report by UN mission to Ukraine.

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) released on Wednesday said that "armed groups of the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics were bolstered by an increasing number of foreign fighters, including citizens of the Russian Federation."

Lukashevich also accused the U.S. of potential deliveries of lethal weaponry to Kiev, as such actions would undermine agreements on the peaceful resolution of the Ukraine crisis.

"This (US arms supplies) is not something that would ensure political settlement in Ukraine," according to Lukashevich. "All agreements that have been recently reached clearly stipulate the necessity of a ceasefire, withdrawal of heavy weaponry and concrete steps in disarmament, rather than boosting up the strength of Kiev government forces."

Moreover, the spokesman stressed that it would be extremely difficult to revive constructive dialogue between Russia and NATO.

"The atmosphere (of bilateral cooperation) has dissipated rapidly. It would be extremely difficult to revive or to resuscitate the dialogue," Lukashevich said. "We have never considered NATO as our enemy, but it was the NATO that has called Russia as a security threat to its member countries."

"Russia will certainly take this stance in consideration while revising its military planning," the diplomat warned.

Related stories:

At least 3,660 killed in E.Ukraine crisis: UN

Ukraine has to wait for EU membership

Conflicts in Ukraine remain cause of concern: FM