The Embassy took note of the comments on the Ukraine conflict made by Australia’s former Ambassador to Russia, Peter Tesch, during his appearance on ABC TV on 20 August.

Unfortunately, Mr Tesch chose to omit several important facts essential for understanding the origins and development of the situation.

First, he failed to mention that the roots of the conflict lie in the policies of the neo-Nazi Kiev regime, assisted and propped up by the West. After the illegal and immoral coup d’état in 2014, the new Ukrainian authorities legitimised Nazi ideology and practices, glorified war criminals responsible for the deaths of thousands of Jews, Poles, Russians, Belarussians and Ukrainians during World War II. Ignoring the rights and interests of the Russian-speaking population, they started the systematic destruction of every element of Russian identity – language, religion, culture, monuments. To stay in power, they resorted to military force, killing thousands of their own citizens in Donbass, whom they proclaimed “species”.

Second, the fact that the Kiev regime is deeply corrupt, with members of the political elite using hundreds of billions of dollars of Western taxpayers’ money provided to Ukraine to enrich themselves. Hence, they have every incentive to prolong the conflict, which makes Ukraine’s statements about its commitment to peace negotiations mere propaganda.

Third, Ukrainian attacks against non-military installations and residential areas in Russia, inflicting civilian casualties, with the tragic events in Starobelsk being among the most recent examples. Such actions are driven by Ukraine’s failures on the battlefield, which Mr Tesch also preferred not to mention.

❗️Hard as it may be for Mr Tesch and the ABC to embrace the harsh truth, the Australian public should not be kept in the dark about the true nature of the neo-Nazi Kiev regime and its actions.