Zakharova: Russia won't let Starobelsk crime be swept under the rug

ST. PETERSBURG, June 4. /TASS/. Russia won’t allow the world to "sweep under the rug" the crime committed by the Kiev regime in Starobelsk, where the Ukrainian armed forces struck a dormitory and an academic building of a college. Ukraine believes it can silence the world’s conscience by not saying anything about this terrorist attack, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stated.

She noted that Armenia’s leadership must decide whether to stay in the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) or join the EU - it can’t be a member of both.

Zakharova also said the scandal in relations between Warsaw and Kiev borders on the absurd.

TASS has compiled the spokeswoman’s key statements made during a briefing on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF).

Armenia

Moscow "has no intention of footing the bill" for Yerevan’s path to the EU, which supports Ukraine in the war: "This union pursues an openly hostile policy toward our country and others around the world, supporting the terrorists in Kiev. It doesn't just support them; it finances them."

Armenia’s leadership must decide on a course of action; the country can not simultaneously be a part of both the EAEU and the EU: "The Armenian leadership's approach of sitting on two chairs [in the EU and the EAEU] doesn’t work for anyone."

West and Russia

Any discussions on the future of Russia’s relations with Germany are possible only if Berlin officially "declares that terrorist attacks against our citizens are unacceptable, condemns them, and ceases to sponsor international terrorism."

"We are taking note of statements by representatives of Hungary’s new leadership regarding both the development of relations with our country and the situation in and around Ukraine."

Russia expects Hungary to prioritize its national interests in its relations with Moscow on the situation in Ukraine.

Russia regularly calls on UN member states with "enormous debts" to the organization to make their payments on time. "The key to resolving existing problems lies, first and foremost, in the observance of financial discipline by those countries that are over-represented - if not to the point of themselves sitting - in key positions within the Secretariat. <…> After all, one must pay."

Middle East

Russia calls for the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Lebanese territory and a swift settlement. "We are ready to cooperate with regional and international partners to promote a sustainable and long-term normalization of the situation in Lebanon, the Middle East, and beyond."

Attempts to cover up Starobelsk terrorist attack

The world cannot "sweep under the rug" the crime committed by the Kiev regime in Starobelsk, where Ukrainian drones struck a dormitory and an academic building of a college: "We will do everything in our power to break through this very information blockade of dehumanization."

By staying silent on Starobelsk, Ukraine doesn’t allow the global conscience to see the reality: "They took the lives of 21 young men and women. They are trying to rob the world of its conscience by silencing this terrorist attack."

"It is our moral duty to speak for those who can’t do so themselves, to force the world to listen to them and accept the truth that so many would like to hide."

The Kiev regime has stepped up its "fiendish propaganda" about the alleged kidnapping of thousands of Ukrainian children by Russia to divert attention from its crimes in Starobelsk: "And now to what constitutes diabolical propaganda. The so-called ‘children’s issue’ in the context of the Ukrainian crisis is one such example. They use it to cover up all their crimes. They don't see the children they're killing, but instead invent children Russia is allegedly abducting."

Representatives of the Kiev regime cite completely different figures for the number of children taken away each time; their statements not only bear no relation to reality, but are even inconsistent with one another: "Over the past four years, only 339 names have been officially provided. Not a single name more. We haven’t closed any channels. Meanwhile, this fake figure, ranging from several thousand to one and a half million, has been circulating in the halls of [international organizations]. No one in the West wants to think about the children who were actually killed."

Lies about Starobelsk

Some are disputing that anyone was killed at all in Starobelsk, while they provide no evidence to back up these wild claims: "And anyone who dares to claim that these children never existed will receive an appropriate response. We are ready to tell the story of each and every one of them."

"Because when it comes to tragedy, you can tell the story of every single person. You can go out and show their photos. You can name their relatives. Despite their unbearable pain, these relatives can tell their stories themselves. Just as the relatives of those burned alive in the Trade Union House in Odessa did.."

Ukrainian military terror

Ukraine committed terrorist acts on the civilian population and infrastructure in Beslan, Budennovsk, and during the hostage crisis at Moscow’s Nord-Ost theater: "That’s how terrorists operated in the North Caucasus. Remember Budennovsk? They specifically seized the maternity hospital. Remember the school in Beslan? Remember the children’s musical at the Nord-Ost theater? Do you remember the explosions in residential buildings where people were sleeping? They knew that families and children were defenseless at night and planted hexogen. It was the same modus operandi. Terrorism follows a certain playbook. I’m not grandstanding; the description is based on methodology, and the conclusion follows accordingly."

The Kiev regime "endlessly cries out for a ceasefire," yet responds with actual acts of terrorism: "They themselves endlessly cry out for ceasefires, but when they see an outstretched hand during these periods, they themselves engage not merely in ceasefire violations, but in actual acts of terrorism."

Ukraine "has already turned into a testing ground,"

The West views the population of Ukraine "as guinea pigs," testing uncertified weapons on them, and no human rights organizations in the West see this. "Convenient, isn’t it? First, they tested on Ukrainian citizens and then sent them to the front lines so that no one would later file claims or demand compensation for damaging their health. For Western manufacturers, this is truly a unique opportunity."

UN’s lack of response to Starobelsk terrorist attack

The lack of response from international organizations on June 4 - International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression - on the killing of children in Starobelsk is outrageous: "I want to ask this question once again: on June 4, 2026 - right now - the UN and its Secretariat must wake up. Today is not Saturday or Sunday; today is a workday. Will this organization find the courage to acknowledge the children killed in Starobelsk on this day, when we remember those who were killed in armed conflicts?"

The actions of Western countries are "politically motivated"; their "ignorance, de facto blindness, and cynical, brazen, shameless lies" on the murder of children in Starobelsk are no surprise: "We have many questions for them, but their silence does not surprise us. But we do have some questions for international organizations."

UN staff should come to Starobelsk themselves to verify the reality of the terror attack’s victims on the ground and speak with the survivors: "Come verify for yourselves. Go to the hospital. Look around. Talk to people like [journalist] Marina Kim did with the girl buried under reinforced concrete slabs who crawled out covered in shrapnel wounds. Talk to her; she’ll verify everything for you. She’ll tell you how the children moaned as they died under the rubble."

Kiev-Warsaw relations

The scandal between Warsaw and Kiev following the awarding of the honorary title "Heroes of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army" (recognized as an extremist organization and banned in Russia) to a Ukrainian military unit is utterly absurd.

The Polish authorities finally noticed that the Kiev regime was glorifying collaborators who killed Poles during World War II. "Where were you before? Didn't you see the insignia or the tattoos? Have you read the literature? Don't you know the names of the regiments we call 'nationalist battalions,' extremist units that are now part of the Ukrainian armed forces? Didn’t you see any of this?"

Potential Western attempts to disrupt Russia-Africa summit

Attempts by the West to disrupt the third Russia-Africa summit cannot be ruled out: " We have previously documented attempts to prevent African guests from participating in the second Russia-Africa Summit in St. Petersburg in 2023, at the ministerial conference in Sochi in 2024, and in Cairo in 2025. We do not rule out that similar destructive actions will be taken in the run-up to the third summit."

Experience shows that the West can't win here because "Africans remember, know, and deeply value their relations with our country - not because these were opportunistic relations, but because they were sincere, genuine, and strong."

Western countries continue to view African nations through the lens of former colonizers: "They continue to view the African continent as their own domain and thus seek to restrict the continent’s relations with external partners, including our country."

Asia-Pacific region

Moscow condemns "the persistent attempts by the US to use others to fuel an arms race in the Asia-Pacific region": "This not only creates risks of destabilizing the established ASEAN-centric order and security architecture in this region, but also threatens to result in additional dividing lines."

Russia is closely monitoring "Japan’s actions toward accelerated remilitarization" and will continue "through diplomatic channels and in the public sphere to make Tokyo understand the harmfulness of this course of action."