Press release on a meeting with Ambassador of the Republic of Colombia Hector Arenas Neira at the Russian Foreign Ministry
On June 30, the Colombian Ambassador to the Russian Federation was invited to the Foreign Ministry, where he was given the following explanation in connection with the Colombian leaders’ statements about three Colombian citizens who had been injured in Kramatorsk.
The legitimate target for the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation was a temporary deployment station used by the command personnel of the 56th Motorised Infantry Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU). At the moment of target engagement, the Colombian citizens were in a restaurant located in the same building. According to the available information, they were aware of being in direct vicinity of the line of fire in the special military operation zone and of the risks involved. We wish the Colombian citizens a speedy recovery and return to safety.
We value each human life. In this connection, we reminded the ambassador about thousands of civilians who have been killed or wounded in Donbass since 2014, about the Ukrainian military deploying heavy weapons at civilian facilities and using civilians as human shields, as well as the acts of sabotage and terrorist attacks perpetrated by the AFU in Russia. We expressed regret over the lack of any reaction to these events on the part of the Colombian leadership.
We drew the ambassador’s attention to the pressing need to recommend that Colombian citizens refrain from visiting territories in the zone of hostilities.