The Russian Ambassador to Nigeria, Andrey Podelyshev, has urged the international community to “rethink” its view of the Ukraine war, insisting that any genuine resolution must address what he called the conflict’s root causes dating back to 2014.
Speaking at a press briefing in Abuja on Thursday, Podelyshev dismissed the Western narrative that Russia launched an “unprovoked” invasion in February 2022, instead framing the war as the outcome of events triggered by the ouster of then-Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych. He described the 2014 political upheaval as an “unconstitutional coup” backed by Western powers, which he said plunged Ukraine into years of internal strife.
According to the envoy, Ukraine’s post-2014 leadership pursued policies of marginalisation against Russian-speaking citizens, banned the Russian language, and replaced Soviet-era monuments with tributes to nationalist figures such as Stepan Bandera, whom he labelled “war criminals.”
Podelyshev also argued that the Minsk Agreements of 2014–2015 could have provided a path to peace but were deliberately undermined by Kyiv with Western backing. He cited comments by former German Chancellor Angela Merkel and former French President François Hollande as proof that the accords were used only to buy time to arm Ukraine.
“Over eight years, more than 10,000 civilians, including children, were killed,” he said. “Yet no one in the West mentions this.”
On Russia’s 2022 invasion, Podelyshev claimed Moscow acted only after Donetsk and Luhansk — which it had just recognised as independent — appealed for help. He rejected the description of Russia’s actions as aggression, calling them a “legal response under international law” to stop hostilities that began in 2014.
The envoy stressed that Moscow remains open to a peaceful settlement but warned that NATO’s eastward expansion and security threats to Russia must first be addressed. He criticised Kyiv’s push for direct talks without substantive preparation, saying any leader-level meeting should be “the conclusion of negotiations, not the beginning.”
Concluding his remarks, Podelyshev appealed for a broader reassessment of Russia’s position:
“Russia did not initiate this war. We are seeking to end it in a way that ensures lasting peace and respects the legitimate rights of all states and peoples in the region.”
