Russia has warned countries at the United Nations that a vote of no or no abstention from pushing for US suspension of Moscow by the Human Rights Council would be seen as an “unfriendly gesture” with consequences for bilateral ties, according to a note seen by the Reuters on Wednesday. . The United States announced on Monday that it would seek a halt to Russia after Ukraine accused Russian troops of killing hundreds of civilians in the city of Bhutan. The 193-member UN General Assembly in New York is set to vote on the measure on Thursday. A two-thirds majority of those who voted – abstentions do not count – could suspend a country from the 47-member Geneva-based Human Rights Council for blatant and systematic human rights violations. Live Russia-Ukraine updates Russia’s mission to the United Nations has urged countries to “speak out against the anti-Russian resolution.” It was not immediately clear how many countries received the note. “It is worth noting that not only support for such an initiative, but also equal voting distance (abstention or non-participation) will be considered a hostile gesture,” the note said. “In addition, the position of each country will be taken into account both in the development of bilateral relations and in the work on important issues within the UN,” it said. Russia’s mission to the United Nations declined to comment on the letter because it was not public. Russia is in the second year of its three-year term in the Human Rights Council. Olivia Dalton, a spokeswoman for the US Mission to the United Nations, said: “Russia openly threatening countries that are voting to suspend the UN Human Rights Council is just another proof that Russia should be immediately excluded from the UN Human Rights Council. he said on Wednesday. Since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, the Assembly has adopted two resolutions denouncing Russia with 141 and 140 votes in favor, respectively. Moscow says it is conducting a “special operation” to demilitarize Ukraine. Russia has denied that it attacked civilians in Ukraine, and Russia’s ambassador to the United Nations, Vassily Nebenzia, said on Tuesday that while Buha was under Russian control, “not a single civilian has been subjected to any form of violence.” The General Assembly had previously suspended a country from the Human Rights Council. In March 2011, he unanimously suspended Libya over violence against protesters by forces loyal to then-leader Muammar Gaddafi. Hundreds of yellow and blue candles were lit in a central square in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv on Tuesday afternoon to honor civilians killed in the Russian-led invasion of the country. The Associated Press Our Morning and Afternoon Newsletters are compiled by Globe editors, giving you a brief overview of the day’s most important headlines. Register today.
