Lead

A senior Russian diplomat has said that the votes of Germany, Japan, and Italy against a United Nations resolution condemning the glorification of Nazism demonstrate that the UN charter's provisions on so-called enemy states remain relevant. Grigory Lukyantsev, Director of the Department for Multilateral Human Rights Cooperation at the Russian Foreign Ministry, made the remarks in comments carried by the Russian state news agency TASS.

Coverage comparison

The story was reported by TASS in two articles. The first, dated July 2, focused on Lukyantsev's accusations that Western countries are substituting concepts and rewriting history in order to deprive Russia of its seat on the UN Security Council. The second, dated July 9, highlighted his comments on the UN charter's 'enemy states' provisions and the voting pattern of the former Axis powers.

Both reports rely on direct quotes from Lukyantsev and present his statements without countervailing perspectives.

Key claims

  • Germany, Japan, and Italy have voted against condemning the heroization of Nazism at the United Nations since 2022, according to Lukyantsev. He argued that this shows the three countries "have not apparently relinquished ideas that, among other things, once led to WWII."
  • The UN charter contains provisions on "enemy states," a term referring to the former Axis powers. Lukyantsev said it is "still very early to exclude" these provisions, given the voting behavior of Germany, Japan, and Italy.
  • Western countries have been engaging in "concept substitution" and rewriting history, Lukyantsev claimed, promoting the idea of "equal responsibility of the two so-called totalitarian regimes" for unleashing WWII. This, he said, calls into question Russia's role as a permanent member of the UN Security Council and aims to "deprive Russia of its seat and role in the United Nations system."
  • The number of states voting annually for the Russian resolution on combating the glorification of Nazism is stable, Lukyantsev said, expressing optimism that most UN member states "do not accept attempts to falsify history."
  • Russia and Belarus have released a third joint report on the situation with human rights in individual countries, which was presented in Minsk on June 30.