Moscow is outraged by the politicization of the secretariat of UNESCO, as well as by violations of the neutrality principle and lack of response towards Kiev's actions in relation to Russian journalists, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Monday.
"Obviously, interactions with UNESCO are not flawless. The organization, which is supposed to serve equal international cooperation among states, has not been free from such fundamental flaws as the excessive influence of Western countries in its Secretariat from the time of its very foundation. The Secretariat's indulgence in the politicization of UNESCO, the application of double standards, and the violation of the principle of neutrality and impartiality of international officials, which is contrary to the Organization's Constitution, are outrageous," the ministry said.
All that is clearly demonstrated in the lack of response by the Secretariat and personally by the Director-General of UNESCO, Audrey Azoulay, to Kiev's actions against Russian journalists, including targeted killings, terrorist attacks, and assassination attempts, the ministry said in a statement.
"The Secretariat's leadership continues to stubbornly ignore that journalists reporting the events on the frontlines are being hunted by Ukrainians," the statement read.