Vladimir Putin's defiant foreign minister has said Russia is not squeaky clean - and not ashamed about it.
Thousands of innocent civilians have been killed and forced to flee Ukraine for their safety after Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told the BBC that Russia did not "invade Ukraine" but insisted they launched "a special military operation because we had absolutely no other way of explaining to the West that dragging Ukraine into Nato was a criminal act."
Mr Lavrov, 72, continues to parrot the Kremlin line that there were Nazis in Russia and their military is "de-Nazifying" the country - as the US accused Mr Lavrov of pushing the false lie that Ukraine are the aggressor.
Liz Truss, the UK foreign secretary, said last month Putin was humiliating himself on the world stage and that "we must ensure he faces a defeat in Ukraine".
Lavrov responded by admitting the UK had "once again sacrificing the interests of its people for the sake of political ambitions".
A report from the UN stated 360 Ukrainian residents, including 74 children, were forced to stay in the basement of a school with no toilet facilities by Russian armed forces - as 10 older people died.
He was quoted the official United Nations report of the Ukrainian village of Yahidne, in Chernihiv region, which stated: "360 residents, including 74 children and five persons with disabilities, were forced by Russian armed forces to stay for 28 days in the basement of a school… There were no toilet facilities, water…10 older people died".
And asked whether the report showed they were fighting Nazi's, he replied: "It's a great pity.
"But international diplomats, including the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, the UN Secretary-General and other UN representatives, are being put under pressure by the West.
"And very often they're being used to amplify fake news spread by the West.
"Russia is not squeaky clean. Russia is what it is. And we are not ashamed of showing who we are."
He rejected the idea the West believed Russia was responsible for its sanctions as he told the BBC : "I am not interested in the eyes of the West at all. I am only interested in international law.
"According to international law, mercenaries are not recognised as combatants."
