Sergei Lavrov
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Minister of Foreign Affairs · Russia
On the regime page: Russian Federation under Vladimir Putin
5 quotes, oldest first. Filter with other speakers.
Content note: Contested claim: genocide and a 'neo-Nazi' government The words are shown as they were said or written. Why
“The fact that they are now trying to prop up an overtly neo-Nazi, Banderite regime in Kiev is also a manifestation of genocide. In both cases, this is an attack against Slavs, against Orthodox Christians, and in Ukraine’s case, against everything Russian. This runs counter to the Ukrainian constitution, as we all know very well. However, this has not prevented the Kiev regime from adopting one law after another to enforce ever tighter requirements for banning the Russian language not only in schools and universities, but in everyday life.”
Original (Russian)
И то, что сейчас пытаются поддерживать откровенно неонацистский, бандеровский режим в Киеве, – это тоже проявление геноцида. И в том, и в другом случае проявляется, если хотите, атака на славян, на православных, а в случае с Украиной конкретно – на всё русское, что противоречит, как мы все прекрасно знаем, Конституции Украины, но не мешает киевским режимам один за другим принимать законы, ужесточающие требования к запрету, по сути дела, русского языка не только в школах, в институтах, но и в повседневной жизни.
English: English text published by the Presidential Press and Information Office, en.kremlin.ru (Security Council meeting, 21 February 2022)
Televised meeting of the Security Council on recognising the Donetsk and Luhansk 'people's republics', held on the eve of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine; Putin called on members one by one to state their view. Russia recognised both entities as independent later that day. Lavrov was answering Putin's earlier use of the word 'genocide' for Donbas. Ukraine's government and most other governments reject the genocide and neo-Nazi characterisation.
Remarks at the Security Council meeting chaired by President Putin, Moscow, 21 February 2022 (transcript, kremlin.ru) Source
Content note: Antisemitic trope about Hitler's ancestry; claim rejected by historians The words are shown as they were said or written. Why
“I could be wrong, but Hitler also had Jewish blood”
Original (Russian)
Могу ошибиться, но у Гитлера тоже была еврейская кровь.
English: English as quoted by Iran Press TV from the transcript posted on the Russian Foreign Ministry website (Press TV, 3 May 2022, reproduced at GlobalSecurity.org); Russian as printed by Meduza, 2 May 2022
Asked how Russia could say it sought to 'denazify' Ukraine when President Zelensky is Jewish, Lavrov replied that Zelensky puts forward that argument. Israel's foreign minister Yair Lapid called the remark unforgivable and summoned the Russian ambassador; Russia's foreign ministry replied on 3 May, citing examples of cooperation between Jews and Nazis. Historians do not support the claim about Hitler's ancestry.
Interview given by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to the Italian programme Zona Bianca, Rete 4 (Mediaset), broadcast 1 May 2022 Source
“I am convinced that any sovereign, self-respecting State would do the same in our stead, which understands its responsibility to its own people.”
English: English as quoted by UN News (the UN's interpretation of the address), 24 September 2022. Original-language text not found.
Lavrov described Russia's February 2022 'special military operation' as a response to threats to Russia's security and to Russian speakers in Donetsk and Luhansk. Ukraine and most UN members rejected that account; the General Assembly had voted on 2 March 2022 to demand Russia withdraw.
Address by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to the UN General Assembly, 24 September 2022, as reported by UN News Source
Content note: Disputed claim that Russians' rights were exterminated The words are shown as they were said or written. Why
“The rights of Russians and those that feel they are part of Russian culture following the coup d’etat in Kyiv have methodically been exterminated”
English: English as quoted by UN News, 28 September 2024. Original-language text not found.
Lavrov defended the 'special operation' by citing self-determination in the UN Charter and Russia's account of events in Ukraine after 2014. Ukraine and Western governments dispute that account and describe the war as aggression.
Address by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to the UN General Assembly, 28 September 2024, as reported by UN News Source
“Our struggle for truth and justice will be carried through to the end. The objectives of the special military operation will be achieved, threats to Russia's security will be eliminated, and peaceful life will be restored.”
English: English as quoted by UN News, 26 September 2026. Original-language text not found.
Delivered in the same speech in which Lavrov accused European governments of arming Ukraine and obstructing peace talks. UN News reports that he also said Russia, Belarus and partners were starting work on a Eurasian Charter on Diversity and Multipolarity.
Address by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to the UN General Assembly, 26 September 2026, as reported by UN News Source