Russian Ambassador denies Russia’s occupation of Ukraine

Russian Ambassador to Japan Mikhail Galuzin insisted Nov. 11 that Russia’s military operation in Ukraine is not an occupation.

Ahead of his stepping down this month, Galuzin held a press conference at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan, where he stated: “What we are doing in Ukraine is not occupation.

e United States occupied Iraq and destroyed the nation [during the Iraq War].”

Galuzin also claimed that “friendly behavior on the part of Japan has deteriorated” since Feb. 24, when Russia’s invasion of Ukraine started.

Galuzin became ambassador to Japan in March 2018.

e day a er the invasion began, he insisted at another FCCJ press conference that Russia had no intention of occupying Ukraine.

But Russia intruded to the outskirts of Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital, and in October it unilaterally annexed

four eastern and southern provinces.

Ahead of his latest press conference, 42 ambassadors to Japan, representing the United States, European countries and others, issued a jointly signed statement.

e ambassadors referred to Galuszin’s remarks on the day a er the invasion started, saying that further spreading of lies is never acceptable. (Nov. 13)

The Yomiuri Shimbun Russian Ambassador to Japan Mikhail Galuzin speaks at a press conference at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan in Tokyo on Nov. 11.