A veteran diplomat in Russia's mission to the United Nations (UN) in Geneva handed over a scathing resignation letter on Monday, calling Russian President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine a shameful "crime" in opposition to each nations.

Boris Bondarev, 41, who has been a counselor within the Russian mission since 2019, introduced his resignation in a Monday e mail despatched to diplomats and shared on Twitter. It marks essentially the most high-profile public rebuke made by a Russian diplomat since Putin ordered troops to invade Ukraine in late February.

Since then, hundreds of troopers and Ukrainian civilians have been killed, whereas over 8 million individuals have been displaced from their properties. The warfare has additionally prompted vital destruction to the nation's infrastructure and has drawn extreme condemnation from the U.S. and different Western nations.

Bondarev's Full Resignation Letter:

"My identify is Boris Bondarev, within the MFA of Russia since 2002, since 2019 till now – Counsellor of the Russian Mission to the UN Workplace at Geneva.

For twenty years of my diplomatic profession I've seen totally different turns of our overseas coverage, however by no means have I been so ashamed of my nation as on February 24 of this 12 months. The aggressive warfare unleashed by Putin in opposition to Ukraine, and actually in opposition to your complete Western world, shouldn't be solely against the law in opposition to the Ukrainian individuals, but in addition, maybe, essentially the most severe crime in opposition to the individuals of Russia, with a daring letter Z crossing out all hopes and prospects for a affluent free society in our nation.

Those that conceived this warfare need just one factor – to stay in energy eternally, dwell in pompous tasteless palaces, sail on yachts comparable in tonnage and value to your complete Russian Navy, having fun with limitless energy and full impunity. To attain that they're keen to sacrifice as many lives because it takes. 1000's of Russians and Ukrainians have already died only for this.

I remorse to confess that over all these twenty years the extent of lies and unprofessionalism within the work of the International Ministry has been rising on a regular basis. Nonetheless, in most up-to-date years, this has develop into merely catastrophic. As an alternative of unbiased info, neutral evaluation and sober forecasting, there are propaganda cliches within the spirit of Soviet newspapers of the Nineteen Thirties. A system has been constructed that deceives itself.

Minister Lavrov is an effective illustration of the degradation of this method. In 18 years, he went from knowledgeable and educated mental, whom many colleagues held in such excessive esteem, to an individual who continually broadcasts conflicting statements and threatens the world (that's, Russia too) with nuclear weapons!

At the moment, the Ministry of International Affairs shouldn't be about diplomacy. It's all about warmongering, lies and hatred. It serves pursuits of few, the only a few individuals thus contributing to additional isolation and degradation of my nation. Russia now not has allies, and there's no one in charge however its reckless and ill-conceived coverage.

I studied to be a diplomat and have been a diplomat for twenty years. The Ministry has develop into my house and household. However I merely can not any longer share on this bloody, witness and completely unnecessary ignominy."

Putin
A Russian diplomat issued a scathing resignation from his place within the UN over Russian President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine. Right here, Putin is seen in Buenos Aires, on November 30, 2018LUDOVIC MARIN/AFP/Getty Photos