- Flora Drury
- BBC
3 hours ago
Boris Bondarev issued a public statement following his resignation in protest of the war
A Russian diplomat has quit his job to protest what he described as a “bloody and brutal” war being waged by Russian President Vladimir Putin in Ukraine.
Boris Bondarev, whose LinkedIn account indicates that he worked at the Russian mission to the United Nations in Geneva, told the BBC that he knew his decision to speak might mean that the Kremlin now considers him a “traitor”.
But he stuck to his statement describing the war as a “crime once morest the Ukrainian people” and “the people of Russia”.
Moscow has not yet commented on his comments.
In the letter posted on social media, Bondarev made it clear that he chose to end his 20-year career because he might no longer “participate in this bloody disgrace which is not to be underestimated and wholly redundant”.
“Those who envisioned this war only want one thing: to remain in power forever,” he wrote.
“To achieve this, they are willing to sacrifice as many lives as possible… Thousands of Russians and Ukrainians have already died just for this,” he added.
Bondarev said the Russian Foreign Ministry was more interested in “lies and hate” than diplomacy.
Russia considers its invasion of Ukraine to stand in the face of NATO’s expansion to reach its borders, which it considers a threat to its national security.
Moscow denies committing any crimes in Ukraine and accuses Kyiv of “fabricating evidence”.
Analysis: Steve Rosenberg, Russia Editor
It is rare to hear such words from a Russian official. In the three months since Vladimir Putin launched what he still calls a “special military operation” in Ukraine, there have been few indications of open opposition in Russia’s state institutions.
An embarrassing move for the Russian authorities? definitely. They like to make the state here behind President Putin’s decision to invade Ukraine.
But one resignation does not automatically mean that many will follow. Bondarev admitted to me that he belongs to the minority. He believes that, for the time being, most officials in the Russian Foreign Ministry support the official line and support the Kremlin’s “special operation”.
Speaking to the BBC, Bondarev said he “didn’t find any alternative” to resigning, saying: “I don’t think it will change much, frankly, but I think it might be a little brick in the bigger wall that will eventually be built. I hope so.”
Bondarev revealed that the invasion was initially met by colleagues with “happiness, joy and ecstasy” because Russia “took some radical steps”.
“Now they are less happy with this, because we have some problems, first of all with the economy. But I don’t see that many of them will change their minds,” he told the BBC.
“They may become somewhat less extreme, somewhat less aggressive. But they are not peaceful,” he added.
In contrast, Bondarev said in his open letter, “I have never been ashamed of my country,” as happened on February 24, the day the war began.
According to Bondarev, he did not “do anything illegal”.
“I just resigned and spoke my mind…but I think I should worry regarding my safety of course,” he said.
