UK tells OSCE that Russia must show evidence for its claims, as it condemns the Dnipro and Komyshuvakha strikes

The United Kingdom told the OSCE in Vienna on 5 November that Russia keeps presenting claims to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe as fact without the evidence to back them. The statement, delivered by UK Senior Military Advisor Colonel Joby Rimmer, was published by the UK government.

Strikes on civilians condemned

Colonel Rimmer opened by condemning Russian attacks on Ukrainian civilians. He said a Russian drone struck a crowded platform at Dnipro’s main railway station on 29 October as a commuter train prepared to depart, killing at least 14 people. On the same day, he said, Russian strikes killed two children in Chernihiv and at least three people in Kremenchuk.

The UK also condemned what it called a “double-tap” strike on 2 November against civilians gathering for humanitarian aid in Komyshuvakha, which it said killed at least 33 people, including police officers and rescue workers. Geopolitiki reported the Komyshuvakha double strike with FAB-3000 bombs on a humanitarian aid centre earlier this week.

The UK’s challenge to Russian presentations

The statement then turned to the material Moscow brings to the forum each week. The UK said that on 23 September a Russian Foreign Ministry official told the OSCE that experts of the International Committee of the Red Cross had verified there were no military targets at warehouses in the Leningrad region, a claim reported by Russian state media. The UK said it knows of no ICRC statement confirming this and asked the Russian delegation to provide the ICRC’s own confirmation.

It also said that on 30 September Russian slides of mines, munitions and launchers came with no incident-specific dates, recovery locations or chain of custody, and that last week’s presentation of 12 slides blamed Ukraine for damage to homes, shops, a church and a substation without explaining how responsibility was established. According to the UK, most images were credited to the archive of a Russian government official, many were undated, and none was from October. Quoting the International Court of Justice, it said charges of exceptional gravity “must be proved by evidence that is fully conclusive”. These are the UK’s assertions; no Russian reply was available in the source read.

Support for Ukraine

Colonel Rimmer said the UK announced more than £10 billion of additional economic and military support for Ukraine on 28 October, including £500 million for air defences this winter, bringing total UK commitments to £35 billion. He also welcomed the US approval on 30 October of the potential sale of 500 Patriot interceptors to Ukraine, funded by Ukraine’s partners and allies.

The statement follows earlier UK interventions at the forum, including its rebuttal that Russia’s justifications for its war on Ukraine do not withstand scrutiny. The UK said it will keep asking Russia to show the forum the evidence behind its claims.