Ukraine: the UN in the midst of a crisis over the use of the words "war" and "invasion"
A Ukrainian soldier stands next to the remains of a crashed Russian military plane in the middle of a building in Kharkiv, March 8, 2022. AP - Andrew Marienko
Text by: RFI Follow
1 min
On Tuesday March 8, on the thirteenth day of the war in Ukraine, the UN found itself mired in a communication crisis because of information from the
Irish Times
.
The Irish daily revealed internal communication emails in which UN personnel are asked not to use the terms "
war
" or "
invasion
" and to prefer "
offensive
" or "
military operation
".
Advertising
Read more
With our correspondent in New York,
Carrie Nooten
The leak revealed by the
Irish Times
froze many diplomats, who demanded explanations from Antonio Guterres and his team throughout the day on Tuesday.
According to the daily, international civil servants are invited to censor themselves "
for their duty of reserve
" by not pronouncing the words "
war
" or "
invasion
", but to prefer "
offensive
" or "
military operation
".
An instruction that emerges when, precisely,
Russia
claims not to have invaded Ukraine but simply to carry out a “
special military operation
”.
The information provoked an outcry.
► To read also: War in Ukraine: how the "Z" became the symbol of support for Russian forces
After some back-pedalling, the UN admitted that these communications did exist and qualified them as errors and personal interpretations of its heads of divisions: this would not reflect the official position of the United Nations.
The organization, which has so much trouble pointing the finger at the permanent members of the Security Council in normal times, has been caught up in its difficulty in naming things.
At a crucial moment in addition, since it is scrutinized in its slightest reactions by countries which could be inspired by the Russian offensive.
Exclusive: the United Nations has banned its staff from using the words "war" or "invasion" to refer to the situation in Ukraine, the Irish Times has learnedhttps://t.co/o3tseMf6Mh
— Naomi O'Leary (@NaomiOhReally) March 8, 2022
Newsletter
Receive all the international news directly in your mailbox
I subscribe
Follow all the international news by downloading the RFI application
google-play-badge_EN
Ukraine
Russia
UN