Ukrainian Embassy Statement, Beirut

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Translated from Arabic. Original not available].

The Ukrainian embassy in Lebanon commented in a statement on signs portraying Russian President Vladimir Putin as a defender of the Koran. It said, “It is ironic that portraits of the Russian President are displayed in which he holds a copy of the Koran and is presented as a protector of religions. Putin is the killer of civilians of all religions, from Chechnya to Syria, Ukraine to Georgia and others. He struggles to find a few hacks to burnish his bloody image, this time by using religions and religious books.

The statement further said, “Russian authorities, particularly Putin, present themselves as peacemakers and protectors of religion. They exploit religious topics very skillfully and today is no exception. We see Putin presenting himself as defender of Muslims, those same Muslims whom Putin’s army killed – 120,000 - in the first Chechen war in 1994-1996. In the second Chechen war, in 1999-2000, an estimated 125,000 peaceful Muslims were killed. Then it was Syria’s turn where the victims are in the hundreds of thousands according to the Syrian Human Rights Observatory. More than 5 million Syrians have become refugees, and wasn’t it Lebanon the first to bear the burden of the refugees fleeing the Russian war in Syria?

“The deception of Modern Russia and its ruling elite knows no limit. After the hundreds of thousands of crimes against peaceful Muslims, Putin presents himself as an advocate of justice and protector of religions, while at thre same time he continues to kill Muslims and other minorities in Ukraine.

The embassy statement adds, “The current generations should recall the lives that were wasted by those who claim to defend justice and religions, and not be deceived by beautiful expressions and pictures! Remember that the Russian rocket will not ask you what language you speak or what religion you have; it will just kill you! The Russian soldier will kill you without mercy, whether you hold a Koran or the Gospels in your hands.”

The statement concludes, “Putin can only show his true nature, which is that his hands are drenched in the blood of innocent Muslims and Christians, those same hands that hold the Koran, in order for him to hide behind the holy books to burnish his image and pretend that he is a defender of religions”.