Belarus Requests UN Security Council Meeting on Bryansk Bus Attack

MINSK, June 26. /TASS/. Belarus, backed by Russia, requested an extraordinary meeting of the UN Security Council over the attack on a bus near Bryansk; it will be held in the near future, Belarusian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ruslan Varankov said.

"In connection with the terrorist attack on a civilian bus carrying Belarusian citizens, mostly children, in Russia’s Bryansk Region, on June 17, the Republic of Belarus appealed to Colombia, which holds the presidency of the UN Security Council, to convene an emergency meeting of the Council," he said, as quoted by the ministry’s press service.

He noted that currently Belarus is not a member of the UN Security Council. "Our appeal was supported by our ally and the Security Council’s permanent member - Russia. Under the temporary rules of procedure, the UN Security Council meeting will be held in the near future," he added.

According to Varankov, the Belarusian side will use this meeting to convey its vision of the incident to the world community. "We will insist on the need for an immediate, objective and unbiased international investigation. Such crimes must not be silenced and those responsible must not evade punishment," he stressed.

The Belarusian diplomat pointed out that his country has always been standing for strict compliance with international law, protecting civilians, especially children, who must never be a target in armed conflicts. "During the upcoming meeting, the Belarusian side will the draw attention of the [UN] Security Council to the recent statements by the Ukrainian leadership where they openly declare their readiness to deliver strikes against Belarus’ territory, including critical infrastructure facilities. Such rhetoric flagrantly infringes upon the principle of international law, and moreover, it poses a direct threat to regional and international security," he said.

On June 17, a bus carrying a Belarusian children’s football team came under a Ukrainian drone attack in Russia’s Bryansk Region, leaving a woman accompanying the young athletes dead and eight other people wounded. The Russian Investigative Committee opened a criminal case on charges of a terror attack.