Speeches and Interviews of the Permanent Representative

Statement by Mr. Alexander Lukashevich,

Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation,

at the 1140th (special) meeting of the OSCE Permanent Council

on the terrorist attack in St. Petersburg, 5 April 2017

 First of all, I should like to express my gratitude to all colleagues, the Austrian OSCE Chairmanship, and personally to Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz and Secretary General Lamberto Zannier for their condolences and support in connection with the terrorist attack in St. Petersburg.

According to the National Counter-Terrorism Committee, on 3 April, at 2.40 p.m. Moscow time, an improvised explosive device with a capacity of around one kilogram of TNT detonated between two central metro stations. As a result of the explosion, 14 people were killed and 62 injured.

A second explosive device was later discovered in another station and defused.

The Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation has initiated criminal proceedings under Article 205 of the Criminal Code on terrorism. An investigation is being carried out.

The President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, assured that the authorities will take all necessary measures to provide assistance to the victims and their families, and also said that the investigation should give “all the answers to what happened in this tragedy” in the near future.

Mr. Chairperson,

The tragic events in St. Petersburg once again prove that the threat of terrorism is not diminishing. The main goal of criminals is to spread fear in society and destabilize the situation in the country. However, these attempts are futile. The courageous residents of St. Petersburg demonstrated solidarity and unity, helping each other in a difficult time.

Terrorism in all its forms and manifestations continues to represent one of the most serious threats to international peace and security.

We call for even greater co-ordination of efforts in the international arena, to act as a united front under the aegis of the United Nations in the fight against terrorism. We have to do everything so that the terrorists and those who organize, plan and fund terrorist acts do not feel safe anywhere.

Thank you for your attention.