{"id":35501,"date":"2025-03-31T16:58:17","date_gmt":"2025-03-31T13:58:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/?p=35501"},"modified":"2025-04-01T00:57:16","modified_gmt":"2025-03-31T21:57:16","slug":"the-war-that-was-not-mentioned-how-a-un-report-overlooked-one-of-the-deadliest-armed-conflicts-of-our-time","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/en\/news\/the-war-that-was-not-mentioned-how-a-un-report-overlooked-one-of-the-deadliest-armed-conflicts-of-our-time\/","title":{"rendered":"The War That Was Not Mentioned: How a UN Report Overlooked One of the Deadliest Armed Conflicts of Our Time"},"content":{"rendered":"

ADC “Memorial” supports the position of Dmitry Berezhkov, editor of the “Indigenous Russia” portal, and publishes his article<\/a> criticizing the thematic report of the UN on the impact of armed conflicts on Indigenous peoples’ rights:<\/em><\/p>\n

In February 2025, the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues presented its thematic report \u201cImpact of colonization and armed conflicts on Indigenous Peoples\u2019 rights: the imperative of peacebuilding\u201d (E\/C.19\/2025\/7<\/a>). The document is presented as a study of the impact of colonialism and armed conflicts on Indigenous Peoples. However, a closer look reveals that the largest armed conflict in Europe since World War II \u2013 Russia\u2019s war against Ukraine \u2013 is virtually absent from the report.<\/p>\n

It is also troubling that, following a lengthy and overdrawn preamble spanning several pages, the substantive part of the report does not begin with an analysis of the real consequences of modern wars for Indigenous Peoples. Instead, it opens with a discussion of the negative effects of Western sanctions on Iran and Bolivia. It gives the impression that, for the authors \u2013 representatives of Iran (Hanieh Moghani), Australia (Hannah McGlade), and the United States (Geoffrey Roth) \u2013 this is the central issue within the broader discussion of colonialism and conflict.<\/p>\n

For us \u2013 representatives of Russia\u2019s Indigenous Peoples \u2013 this rhetoric sounds all too familiar. For years, RAIPON, the official Russian organization of Indigenous Peoples that supported the invasion of Ukraine and is entirely controlled by the Kremlin, has been actively speaking out against sanctions in all UN venues. RAIPON is used by Russian authorities in international bodies as a tool of soft power and to justify both internal and external policies, including the militarization of the Arctic and the violation of the rights of Indigenous Peoples themselves.<\/p>\n

It is no surprise that one of the report\u2019s authors \u2013 the Iranian representative Hanieh Moghani \u2013 has, in recent years, regularly participated in Kremlin-sponsored events on Indigenous rights, including Arctic forums. These are the kinds of events where the Kremlin\u2019s narrative dominates, promoting ideas such as the war in Ukraine being merely a \u201cterritorial dispute and political rivalry,\u201d and that sanctions against states systematically violating human rights are one of the greatest threats to Indigenous Peoples. When such narratives are reflected in official UN reports, it indicates a serious crisis of representation and independence in international Indigenous rights mechanisms.<\/p>\n

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In the photo \u2013 participants of the International Arctic Forum in Murmansk (Russia). March 26\u201327, 2025. At the center of the photo is Hanieh Moghani, author of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues report. Photo by Michail Kireev, Roscongress Foundation (https:\/\/photo.roscongress.org\/ru\/projects\/358\/9522\/303110<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Meanwhile, the only mention of Ukraine is found in paragraph 69 and is limited to a single sentence:<\/p>\n

\u201cAs a result of the geopolitical struggle in Ukraine, suffering has increased for Indigenous minorities such as the Crimean Tatars, who have long faced persecution and are now caught in the crossfire of parties involved in territorial disputes and political rivalries.\u201d<\/p>\n

Given the scale of the war and its consequences for Indigenous Peoples in both Ukraine and Russia, such a statement is not just understated \u2013 it is deliberately depersonalized. It omits any mention of:<\/p>\n