Over 100 Diplomats Walk Out After Russian Foreign Min Called to Address UNHRC

The envoys who made the symbolic gesture were from the US, EU, Great Britain, Japan, and several other countries.

The envoys who made the symbolic gesture were from the United States (US), European Union (EU), Great Britain, Japan, and several other countries.

Photo: The Quint

Over 100 diplomats from 40 countries staged a walkout during a United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) session in Geneva as Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was invited to give his address via video conference on Tuesday, 1 March.

The walkout, which was undertaken to protest Russia's continuing aggression against Ukraine, marked an effective boycott of Lavrov at the session.

The envoys who made the symbolic gesture were from the United States (US), European Union (EU), Great Britain, Japan, and several other countries.

Russian Ambassador to the UN, Gennady Gatilov, and envoys from China, Syria, and Venezuela, among other nations, stayed in the room and looked on as their colleagues walked out of the session.

The walkout was led by Ukranian Ambassador to the UN, Yevheniia Filipenko.

"We greatly appreciate all your support," Filipenko said while addressing the press, surrounded by diplomats from the other countries who expressed their solidarity with Ukraine.

The envoys were also seen holding the Ukranian flag in support of the war-torn country.

"The steps that we have taken today in international Geneva sends a very strong signal to the Russian federation that such actions are not acceptable," Filipenko added.

Lavrov, who opted not to attend the session physically to protest against the closure of Europe's airspace for Russian planes, said that Russia's invasion of Ukraine was justified due to alleged human rights violations committed by the latter.

Russia's military operation against Ukraine began on Thursday, 24 February.