During an international conference at India’s G20 Summit in New Delhi on Friday, Russia’s foreign minister Sergei Lavrov falsely claimed that Russia was a victim of the war in Ukraine.
Lavrov was ridiculed with groans and laughter from the audience when he tried to suggest that the war in Ukraine “was launched against us [Russia]”.
Lavrov appeared taken aback by the ridicule, but he resumed the propaganda with a stony face. The veteran foreign minister may have expected a sympathetic hearing in India, but the Indian government has insisted on neutrality in the conflict and abstained on United Nations votes over the conflict.
Lavrov’s public rebuke came as Russian forces claimed they were about to seize the Russian city of Bakhmut, a key eastern stronghold in the Donetsk region that has been the scene of intense fighting for some months.
Russian artillery pounded the last routes out of Bakhmut on Friday, aiming to complete the encirclement of the besieged Ukrainian city and bring Moscow closer to its first major victory in half a year after the bloodiest battle of the war.
The head of Russia’s Wagner private army said the city, which has been blasted to ruins in Russia’s more than seven-month onslaught, was almost completely surrounded with only one road still open for Ukraine’s troops.
The Russian victory in Bakhmut, with a pre-war population of about 70,000, would give it the first major prize in a costly winter offensive, after it called up hundreds of thousands of reservists last year.
Russia says it would be a stepping stone to completing the capture of the Donbas industrial region, one of Moscow’s most important objectives. Before the war, Bakhmut was known for salt and gypsum mines.
Ukraine says the city has little strategic value, and the huge casualties Russia has suffered trying to take Bakhmut could shape the course of the conflict.
During the Q&A in India, an audience member asked Lavrov about how the war has affected Russia’s strategy on energy and how it would mark a privilege toward Asia.
Lavrov responded, “The war, which we are trying to stop, which was launched against us using the…”, but he was cut off by groans and laughter from the audience.
He eventually continued, saying that the Ukrainian people influenced the policy of Russia, including energy policy. He also said that Russia would not rely on any partners in the West and would not allow them to blow the pipelines again.
Lavrov’s ongoing tour across countries in Asia, Africa, and the Middle East comes as the outcast country continues a desperate search for allies. However, the public rebuke in India suggests that Russia may have trouble finding sympathy among Asian countries.
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