Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova’s answer to a media question concerning remarks by Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict Pramila Patten

Question: The other day, UN Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict Pramila Patten accused the Russian army of using medical drugs for carrying out sexual assault on peaceful civilians as part of its “military strategy.” How could you comment on this?

Maria Zakharova: The substance of what Ms Patten said does not deserve a serious comment. Her remarks are beyond what is reasonable. Besides, this UN official has clearly exceeded her mandate and powers. At the same time, she is not concealing that her judgments are based on the patchy data provided by an “independent international commission of inquiry on Ukraine,” which Russia does not recognise. In her own words, it is hard to verify this information. To put it differently, it is the classical “highly likely” affair, and this time it is at the level of a perverted fantasy.

Generally, this reminds one of the false and provocative statements by former Ukrainian commissioner for human rights Lyudmila Denisova, who confessed that she had invented many facts figuring in her statements to [help Ukraine] obtain Western weapons and funding. Eventually, as we remember, the Kiev regime dismissed Denisova for her gross anti-Russia lies which she told to mislead the international community.

These planted stories are nothing new. In 2011, Reuters reported that troops loyal to Muammar Gaddafi practiced rape, for which they stocked up on Viagra. The journalists did this to support the plans to destroy Libya. As we can see, the West is again using the same templates in its hybrid war.