Maria Zakharova, spokesperson for Russia’s Foreign Ministry, has once again invoked the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia to criticize remarks by UN Secretary-General António Guterres, accusing the international community of applying double standards in global conflicts.
Zakharova referenced situations in Gaza Strip and Libya to support Moscow’s claims. However, her statements come as Ukraine continues to endure the consequences of war, with Russian forces facing widespread accusations of serious violations against civilians.
Reports, including those from the United Nations, have documented attacks on civilian infrastructure, large-scale destruction, and killings of civilians in cities such as Bucha and Mariupol—both of which have become symbols of suffering during the conflict. Moscow has repeatedly denied responsibility, while promoting narratives aimed at relativizing its actions and shifting focus to other international crises.
Meanwhile, the office of António Guterres has consistently emphasized that the protection of civilians must be universal and that any violations of international humanitarian law must be investigated, regardless of the perpetrator.
In a previous response at the German Bundestag, German MP Adis Ahmetović recalled that the 1999 NATO intervention was decisive in halting crimes committed by the regime of Slobodan Milošević in Kosovo.
He argued that the continued use of the “precedent” narrative regarding NATO’s intervention is being exploited to justify violations of international law, including Russia’s war against Ukraine. Ahmetović warned that such narratives risk relativizing war crimes and ignoring past atrocities, including the Srebrenica massacre and the victims of violence in Kosovo.
He further stressed that the 1999 humanitarian intervention—supported at the time by the Bundestag—was essential to prevent the repetition of genocide in the Western Balkans.
