Ukraine calls Russian envoy's 'no mercy' tweet 'genocidal language', calls for his boycott

Ukraine has come down heavily on Russian Ambassador Mikhail Ulyanov over his recent tweet targeting Ukrainians. Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Oleg Nikolenko on Saturday, August 20, called on the diplomatic community in Austria to boycott Ulyanov and declare him "persona non grata." Kyiv's response comes after Mikhail Ulyanov, Permanent Representative of Russia to International Organizations in Vienna, in a now-deleted tweet said, "No mercy to the Ukrainian population!" 

Taking to his Twitter handle, Oleg Nikolenko alleged that the Russian ambassador had called for the "elimination" of Ukraine and dubbed his remarks "genocidal language", which he stressed should not be accepted. Oleg Nikolenko tweeted, "Russia’s Ambassador Mikhail Ulyanov is calling for the elimination of the Ukrainian nation. This genocidal language must not be tolerated. We call on the entire diplomatic community in Vienna to boycott Ulyanov, and on the host country, Austria - to declare him persona non grata."

He also shared a screenshot of the now-deleted tweet of Mikhail Ulyanov. Notably, Russian ambassador Ulyanov's post was in response to a tweet by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanking US President Joe Biden for his military assistance to Ukraine. 

Austria Ministry of Foreign Affairs summons Mikhail Ulyanov

Meanwhile, the Austrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has also issued a response to Mikhail Ulyanov's tweet. In a statement issued on Twitter, the Austrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that they are "outraged" by the "inhuman statements" made by Mikhail Ulyanov. The Ministry of Foreign Ministry Affairs tweeted, "We are outraged by the inhuman statements made by the Russian Permanent Representative and by his attempts to put into perspective what cannot be put into perspective." In another tweet, the ministry underscored that they support freedom of speech but take "firm action" against "inflammatory statements." The Austrian Foreign Ministry further informed that Mikhail Ulyanov has been summoned for Sunday. 

Mikhail Ulyanov issues statement regarding his tweet 

Meanwhile, Mikhail Ulyanov has issued a clarification regarding his tweet. He stated that his "critical observation of the policy of pumping Ukraine with weapons combined with the rejection of diplomacy (leading to further suffering)" has been interpreted as a "call for genocide." Ulyanov further added, "Sneaky interpretation which has nothing to do with me and my words." He termed the attempts to relate his statement with a call for genocide as "outrageous and absolutely unacceptable".

Image: AP