STORY
The United Kingdom has launched a blistering critique of Russian diplomacy at the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) in Vienna, accusing Moscow of “blatant hypocrisy” for claiming to defend the group’s founding principles while simultaneously waging an illegal war in Ukraine.
Addressing the Permanent Council on 12 February 2026, British Ambassador Neil Holland dismissed recent Russian assertions that Western nations were responsible for the decline of the 57-nation security body. Holland argued that it is Russia alone that has undermined the organisation through its refusal to engage in meaningful dialogue, its continued detention of OSCE staff and its systematic violation of the Helsinki Final Act.
The British delegation specifically highlighted the plight of three OSCE staff members, Vadym Golda, Maksym Petrov and Dmytro Shabanov, who have now spent nearly four years in Russian detention. Holland noted that a state that imprisons its own colleagues while they are performing duties agreed upon by all participating members cannot credibly claim to uphold the rule of law.
The statement also addressed Moscow’s attempts to delegitimise OSCE mechanisms such as the Moscow Mechanism and the Early Warning Mechanism. These tools were originally created by consensus to manage regional crises, but the UK argues Russia has recently discarded them simply because they found the oversight uncomfortable.