…Russia’s willingness to exploit the vulnerabilities of critical civilian infrastructure by moving its forces closer to the Donetsk Water Filtration Station, and staging heavy caliber guns in densely populated areas, leaves the civilian population exposed to unconscionable danger. …

We all know the truth: this is Russia’s conflict, but it is unwilling to make even simple moves to reduce tensions. Russia refuses to order the forces it arms, trains, leads and fights alongside to agree to the establishment of safety zones around critical infrastructure, or the withdrawal of forces in areas with dense civilian populations.

…The calculated way Russia deploys its forces near infrastructure and along the contact line exacerbates the risk of environmental disaster and disruption of water supply to hundreds of thousands of people on both sides of the contact line. Russia’s actions also heighten the danger of civilian casualties from shelling. …

Russia has detained dozens of Ukrainians on a variety of baseless pretexts. The United States is deeply concerned that a Moscow court may sentence journalist Roman Sushchenko to up to 20 years imprisonment on fabricated charges of espionage. We call on Russia to drop these charges. The United States is also following the cases of Mykola Karpiuk and Stanislav Klykh, who were convicted in May 2016 on bogus “terrorism” charges. We call on Russia to return both men to Ukraine. …

Despite its unsuccessful attempts to convince us of the contrary, and to distract us from the realities of the situation, it is clear that the Russian Federation has manufactured and sustained this conflict from the start. The brazen violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, along with the seizure and occupation of Crimea, remains Europe’s 21st century example of the dangers of aggression.

– Statement by the U.S. Mission to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe delivered to the OSCE Permanent Council in Vienna on November 23 by Chargé d’Affaires Harry Kamian.