During the final part of the 19th Conference of the Parties to the CITES Convention, the delegation of Ukraine issued a statement in which it drew the attention of the organizers and participants of the Conference to the violation of CITES provisions due to Russian military aggression, Russia's non-compliance with the Charter and resolutions of the UN General Assembly.

"Russia provoked the ecocide of all living things in Ukraine. War destroys the habitats of thousands of species of wild fauna and flora. Many CITES-endangered animals in zoos and other institutions died or were injured due to artillery and missile attacks by the Russian army," First Deputy Minister of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources Ruslan Grechanyk emphasized during his speech.

According to him, a vivid example of the consequences of Russian military aggression for CITES was the forced and without proper documentation export of animals listed in CITES from Ukraine. After all, the war did not leave their owners a chance to apply for a CITES permit/certificate according to the normal procedure.

Armed conflict increasingly threatens to implement strategies to combat wildlife crime, capacity-building programs, and other efforts to combat illegal wildlife trade.

"Since the Russian Federation grossly violates the UN Charter and disregards the resolutions of the UN General Assembly, we call on the participation of the Russian delegation in CITES decisions and resolutions to be limited in every possible way, as well as not to use the Russian language in work - the language of a country that destroys all living things," stressed Ruslan Grechanyk .

The statement of the delegation of Ukraine was supported by the representatives of the European Union and its 27 Contracting Parties, the USA, Great Britain and New Zealand.