After opposing the war in Ukraine, a Russian diplomat resigned with great fanfare in Geneva

Geneva | A Geneva-based Russian diplomat opposed to the war against Ukraine announced his resignation with a major blow, saying in a publicly released letter that he had “never” been “ashamed” of his country, according to several concordant sources.

Boris Bondarev, advisor to the Permanent Mission of Russia, sent an email to fellow diplomats to announce his decision, which was revealed by the UN NGO and confirmed by several diplomatic sources.

“In my twenty years of diplomatic career I have seen various shifts in our foreign policy, but I have never felt as ashamed of my country as on February 24 this year” when Russia invaded Ukraine, wrote Mr. Bondarev.

Mr. Bondarev – whose name appears well in the official directory of diplomats to the United Nations in Geneva – says he has worked for the Russian Foreign Ministry since 2002 and since 2019 on the shores of Lake Geneva.

“Putin’s aggressive war against Ukraine, but also against the Western world, is not only a crime against the Ukrainian people, but also perhaps the most serious crime against the Russian people, with the letter Z in bold obscuring all our hopes and prospects for a free and prosperous society in our country,” reads the letter that Posted by Dutch Ambassador for Disarmament Affairs Robert Gabriels, along with “Brave!”.

This resignation, which, according to many sources, is not the first by a Russian diplomat for the same reasons, but is undoubtedly the most public, should encourage other colleagues to follow the example, stressed the director of UN Watch, Hillel Neuer.

He added: “The US, UK and EU should take the lead in the free world and put in place a program to encourage more Russian diplomats to defect by providing protection, financial security and a place of stability for these diplomats and their families.”