Islamabad: Russian Ambassador in Pakistan Albert P. Khorev has said that at present, we have to acknowledge that Ukraine and its Western patrons have launched a full-scale hybrid war against Russia, waged across multiple dimensions: military, economic, legal and informational. He said that Russia is committed to a political and diplomatic settlement of the Ukraine crisis.This was stated by Ambassador Albert P. Khorev in his statement on the situation in and around Ukraine.Albert P. Khorev said 'I would like to begin by recalling a solemn anniversary: on September 8, we marked 85 years since the beginning of the Siege of Leningrad, which lasted 872 days. This tragedy remains one of the darkest chapters in our country's history. As a result of the criminal actions of Nazi Germany's occupying forces and their European collaborators, among whom Finland played a particularly significant role, more than one million people -just think about it, one million people- died of hunger, cold and disease, including the elderly, women and children. The siege was an egregious war crime, a crime against humanity, and an act of genocide against the Soviet people.In memory of the victims of the Siege of Leningrad, I ask everyone to observe a minute of silence'.Albert P. Khorev said 'As part of today's briefing, we are presenting an exhibition entitled 'Crimean Gold: 'Civilized' Europe Plunders Russian Treasures.' It tells the story of a unique collection of archaeological artifacts - the so-called 'Scythian gold' - that was taken from the people of Crimea. The collection consists of exceptionally rare finds dating back more than two thousand years. They were discovered by archaeologists in Crimea at different times and have remained in Crimean museums ever since. An exhibition featuring these artifacts was held at the Allard Pierson Museum of the University of Amsterdam from February 7 to August 31, 2014. The 'Scythian gold' was supposed to be returned, as agreed, to Crimea and to the museums from which it had been taken. Ho wever, the Dutch side chose to follow the prevailing political climate and handed the collection over not to its rightful owners, but to the Kiev regime'.Albert P. Khorev said that the actions of the Dutch authorities dealt a serious blow to the cultural and historical heritage of the Crimean Peninsula. Let me emphasize that our position is clear: everything found on Crimean soil must be returned to its homeland - Crimea. 'I encourage you to take a close look at the exhibition materials after the briefing' Albert P. Khorev said.Albert P. Khorev said 'I cannot overlook one of the most important events in Russia's political life over the past month. On September 20, elections to the lower house of Russia's parliament, the State Duma, were successfully completed. Voter turnout reached a record high of more than 59 percent. Voting also took place at the Embassy of Russia in Islamabad, where all necessary conditions were provided to enable Russian citizens residing in or temporarily staying in Pakistan to exer cise their right to vote. I would also emphasize that the elections took place amid enormous external pressure. More than 3,000 DDoS attacks were recorded against the Russia's electronic voting infrastructure. As a result of attacks by the Ukrainians, 74 buildings serving as polling stations were damaged across 10 Russian regions. During the election period, more than 1,600 Ukrainian drones were shot down over Russian territory, including 450 while approaching Moscow. The Kiev regime, which last held national elections way back in 2019, made every effort to prevent Russian citizens from exercising their right to vote. Nevertheless, these efforts failed to achieve their objective.Albert P. Khorev said that at present, we have to acknowledge that Ukraine and its Western patrons have launched a full-scale hybrid war against Russia, waged across multiple dimensions: military, economic, legal and informational. He said that on the military front, Kiev seeks to portray itself as a democracy with combat experience . In reality, it is a partly devastated post-Soviet republic and a victim of NATO's neocolonial ambitions in the former Soviet Union. Zelensky came to power in 2019 on a platform of peace and democracy, but under the pretext of martial law he has trampled democratic institutions and, with the full support of Western countries and amid failures on the battlefield, shifted toward openly terrorist tactics aimed at intimidating Russia's civilian population.Albert P. Khorev said that among the most egregious recent examples are the attack on the educational building and dormitory of Lugansk State Pedagogical University college in Starobelsk (Luhansk People's Republic) on May 22, in which 21 students were killed, and a Ukrainian drone strike on a beach near the Russian resort city of Gelendzhik on August 3, which injured more than 50 vacationers. Seven people, including four children, were killed.Albert P. Khorev said 'Let me emphasize that responsibility for these horrific atrocities lies not only with the Kie v regime, which carried them out directly, but also with the countries supplying Ukraine with weapons and financial assistance. Fifty-four countries, including the United States, Canada, the EU states, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand, are providing military and financial support to Ukraine and, consequently, contributing to the prolongation of the conflict.He said that NATO countries provide Ukraine with intelligence and communications support, participate in planning military operations, and assist with the use of the weapons they supply. The total amount of Western military assistance to Ukraine between 2022 and 2025 exceeded $160 billion. He said that according to estimates by Russian economists, the damage to Russian infrastructure caused by the use of Western-supplied weapons amounted to approximately $13.6 billion. Ukrainian strikes have resulted in the documented deaths of 1,472 civilians, while 6,754 people were injured.Albert P. Khorev said that as for the economic dimension of the conflict, Ukraine's Western patrons are taking the lead, relying on instruments of heavy-handed sanctions pressure. In this regard, I would note that the restrictions imposed and repeatedly extended by Western countries against Russia are having a negative impact not only - and not primarily - on the Russian economy, but also on the economies of the countries imposing them, as well as on developing countries. These illegal restrictions have disrupted international logistics chains and limited access to energy resources, goods, finance, and technology. The most significant consequences are being felt in the EU: from 2022 to 2025, its cumulative losses resulting from the adverse effects of sanctions are estimated at between 1 trillion and 1.6 trillion euros. European companies that ceased operations in Russia incurred losses of 400-450 billion euros.He said that the European industrial sector has been particularly hard hit. The loss of access to Russian raw materials has driven up energy costs and inflation w hile reducing the competitiveness of European industry, especially energy-intensive sectors. We are seeing a reduction in production capacity in the EU chemical industry, economic stagnation in Germany, France and Italy, problems in the German automotive industry and a rise in bankruptcies in Germany.Albert P. Khorev said at the same time, the West's illegitimate sanctions are accelerating objective processes in the global economy. For example, restrictions imposed on Russia's use of the dollar and euro for settlements are contributing to a greater share of transactions being conducted in national currencies and to the development of alternative financial and trade infrastructure within BRICS, the SCO and ASEAN. In the long term, these processes will inevitably lead to the creation of trade and financial mechanisms independent of the West. Western countries, however, recognize that sanctions have not produced the desired results: the Russian economy not only did not collapse, but was able to adapt to the re strictions and, by the end of 2025, was already showing moderate growth. In this context, the West has decided to abandon even the appearance of legality and resort to outright piracy.Albert P. Khorev said that under the pretext of combating the so-called 'shadow fleet' - a term that does not appear in the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea - the collective West is subjecting Russian vessels to inspections and detentions on the grounds that, in its view, they are 'fueling Russia's war economy.'He said that international maritime law permits warships to inspect vessels on the high seas only in strictly limited circumstances, and that list does not include either European sanctions or affiliation with a 'shadow fleet.' No internal EU decisions can override the fundamental freedoms guaranteed by the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, which Western countries are grossly violating in this context.Speaking of international maritime law, we are seeing a sharp increase in the number of Ukrainian at tacks on civilian vessels in the Black and Azov Seas: this year, more than 200 vessels, 96 of them sailing under foreign flags, have come under Ukrainian fire. In 2025, the figure was 12 vessels; in 2024 and 2023, it was one vessel each. Kiev and its Western sponsors bear full responsibility for the escalation and deterioration of the transportation and logistics situation in the Black Sea. Russia's actions are retaliatory in nature and are aimed at eliminating threats to international shipping. This escalation poses a serious danger to global food and energy security. At the same time, despite claims in Western media that Ukraine is the 'breadbasket' of Europe and the world, it is necessary to consider its actual share of the global market: Ukraine accounts for about 7 percent of global wheat exports, while Russia's share is 23 percent. Clearly, attacks on Russian civilian vessels transporting agricultural products, as well as sanctions that obstruct the export of Russian food products, do far more harm to i nternational food security than restrictions on Ukrainian exports of corresponding products.Albert P. Khorev said that in addition, we must recognize that a genuine legal aggression has been unleashed against Russia. The West is creating a number of quasi-legal mechanisms aimed at holding Russia accountable for alleged violations of international law. In this regard, let me reiterate a point I have made repeatedly at previous briefings: such pseudo-legal initiatives, whether the so-called 'Register of Damage for Ukraine' or the 'International Claims Commission for Ukraine,' are legally null and void, and doomed to fail. Russia does not intend to comply with decisions of these arbitrarily established bodies and any third country that joins them will be regarded by us as taking a hostile step.Albert P. Khorev said 'At the same time, I would particularly emphasize that not all international institutions are prepared to blindly follow the West's lead. On June 15 of this year, the Permanent Court of Arbitratio n in The Hague issued its final ruling in the arbitration between Russia and Ukraine concerning the rights of the coastal state in the Kerch Strait, the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea waters around Crimea. The tribunal, composed of five independent experts, unanimously rejected numerous Ukrainian claims, including demands for compensation and reparations, as well as Kiev's ambitions to control over Crimea's and the Sea of Azov region's resources and maritime spaces. It is worth noting that the tribunal recognized the Kerch Strait and the Sea of Azov as Russia's internal waters and found no violations of international law in Russia's exercise of jurisdiction in those waters.Albert P. Khorev said that the disinformation campaign surrounding the so-called 'children issue' shows no signs of abating. At various times, the figures cited for 'kidnapped Ukrainian children' have ranged from 19,500 to 1.6 million. In this regard, I would emphasize that the only verifiable list of missing children is the so-called '339 list,' which was handed to us by the Ukrainians during bilateral talks in Istanbul on June 2, 2025. Even this list is not fully objective: upon verification, it turned out that nearly half of the 339 minors mentioned in the document had either never been in Russia, were in Russia together with their parents or had refused to return to Ukraine. Albert P. Khorev said 'To those who continue to amplify these waves of disinformation, I would suggest paying attention to the real human rights problems in Ukraine. At the previous briefing, I spoke in detail about forced mobilization in Ukraine'.He said that another of the most pressing problems is the persecution of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. Since 2014, the Kiev regime has pursued a systematic policy of restricting religious freedoms. Religion is being used as a tool of political control and suppression of dissent. A special role is being assigned to the so-called Orthodox Church of Ukraine, which is a politically controlled project created with state involvem ent.Albert P. Khorev said a genuine campaign of repression has been launched against the Ukrainian Orthodox Church: churches and monasteries are being seized, religious communities are being re-registered, and clergy and believers are being subjected to pressure through criminal prosecutions, personal sanctions and deprivation of citizenship. The persecution of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church has become systemic, while Western countries support this discriminatory religious policy. We also note the inadequate response of international organizations, including the UN, to violations of freedom of religion in Ukraine.Albert P. Khorev said 'In conclusion, I would particularly emphasize that Russia is committed to a political and diplomatic settlement of the Ukraine crisis. Last year, we initiated the resumption of the negotiating process that had been halted by Kiev, and we remain open to its continuation, provided that Russia's national interests are taken into account. At the same time, we regret that the Uni ted States, which assumed the role of mediator in efforts to resolve the conflict last year, has recently taken a course toward increasing sanctions pressure on Russia. This approach does nothing to advance crisis resolution.As for the hysteria being stoked in Europe over 'potential Russian aggression' against EU and NATO countries, I would like to emphasize that both President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov have repeatedly stated that Russia is not preparing for military action against Europe. We have neither such plans nor any grounds for them and, most importantly, no real motivation whatsoever to escalate the situation with Europe, regardless of what anyone may say'.