STORY
In a forceful address at the OSCE on 9 October 2025, the UK’s Ambassador to the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe challenged the global community to recognise what he called the far-reaching stakes of Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Ambassador Neil Holland argued that the conflict is not just a tragedy for the region, but a test of the rules-based international order. He insisted that Russia’s narrative, one of inevitable victory, is false, outlining heavy losses and stalled territorial gains as evidence of that. According to his account, since November 2022, Russia has captured only 1 % more Ukrainian territory and sustained catastrophic losses in personnel and equipment.
He also highlighted Russia’s domestic challenges as further proof that the war is unsustainable: spiralling budget deficits, rising taxation, and cuts in social spending. Turning to the humanitarian front, Holland condemned Russia’s targeting of civilians, pointing to recent attacks on a maternity hospital and gas infrastructure. He cast these not as isolated incidents, but part of a pattern.