The UN has barred its personnel from calling the aggression in Ukraine a war; the organization denies the speech

UN officials have been advised to use euphemisms such as “conflict” or “military offensive” to describe Russia’s war, which has already claimed hundreds of lives and displaced two million people.

An e-mail sent to employees by the UN Public Relations Department on Monday, The Irish Times, instructed them not to call the war in Ukraine a war or to add the Ukrainian flag to their social media profiles.

UN staff were instructed not to use “war” or “invasion” and to use “conflict” or “military offensive” instead, according to an internal email seen by the Irish Times.
It comes as the Kremlin cracks down on the use of the same words within Russia https://t.co/o3tseMf6Mh pic.twitter.com/rylBseiKo8

— Naomi O’Leary (@NaomiOhReally) March 8, 2022

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“There are serious reputational risks, as recently pointed out by senior officials,” the letter said.

These instructions have already raised concerns that part of the UN bureaucracy is under Russian influence.

However, UN Under-Secretary-General for Global Communications Melissa Fleming writes on Twitter that such orders have not been passed on to the organization’s staff.

I lead @A communications. No such official communication has gone out to global staff to refrain from using certain words. https://t.co/RVOZakUqH1

— Melissa Fleming 🇺🇳 (@MelissaFleming) March 8, 2022

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In fact, Russia reportedly forbade the law to call the war against Ukraine a war or an invasion, or any other appropriate name. Not only are all media outlets forced to use euphemism imposed by the Kremlin – a “special operation”, but so must ordinary citizens, who are now facing up to 15 years in prison for spreading “false news”.

The Russian authorities have falsified any information revealing war crimes in Ukraine, the killing of civilians, the damage suffered by the Russians and the resistance of the Ukrainian people to the invaders.

“If that ‘s true, it’ s pathetic. I hope the UN and [Apvienoto Nāciju ģenerālsekretārs] Antoniu Gutērres can provide a broader explanation on this issue, “Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkēvičs said on Twitter, commenting on the news of The Irish Times.