Ukrainian Foreign Minister Tears Into UN for Reportedly Prohibiting Use of ‘War’ or ‘Invasion’ in Communications About Ukraine
Oliver Doiliery/Getty Images
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba slammed the United Nations on Tuesday over prohibiting its staff from using terms such as “war” or “invasion” to describe Russia’s military invasion of Ukraine.
“It’s hard to believe that the UN could essentially impose the same kind of censorship as the Kremlin imposes inside Russia now by banning the use of words ‘war’ and ‘invasion’ among UN staff. I urge the UN to swiftly refute such reports if they are false. UN reputation at stake,” he tweeted.
It’s hard to believe that the UN could essentially impose the same kind of censorship as the Kremlin imposes inside Russia now by banning the use of words ‘war’ and ‘invasion’ among UN staff. I urge the UN to swiftly refute such reports if they are false. UN reputation at stake.
— Dmytro Kuleba (@DmytroKuleba) March 8, 2022
According to The Irish Times, which apparently obtained an official UN email, the UN told its staff to use “conflict” or “military offensive” as opposed to “war” or “invasion” in regards to “referring to the situation in Ukraine.” As it pertains to misinformation, the UN said “this is a communications ‘war’ too.”
The apparent email, which called for impartiality, also included “one specific recommendation related to something that is quite common at the moment: do NOT add the Ukrainian flag to personal or official social media accounts or websites.”
UN staff were instructed not to use “war” or “invasion” and to use “conflict” or “military offensive” instead, according to an internal email seen by the Irish Times.
It comes as the Kremlin cracks down on the use of the same words within Russia https://t.co/o3tseMf6Mh pic.twitter.com/rylBseiKo8— Naomi O’Leary (@NaomiOhReally) March 8, 2022
