A previous version of this article, citing a report from The Irish Times, incorrectly stated that the United Nations banned staff members from using the words “war” or “invasion.” The ban applied to a regional office at the United Nations, not the United Nations itself.
A United Nations regional office has told staff members to avoid referring to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as a “war” or “invasion” in an email sent on Monday, according to a new report.
The Irish Times first reported the information, citing a U.N. communications department email to employees. The email also warned against the use of the Ukrainian flag to personal or social media accounts.
“Some specific examples of language to use/not use at the moment,” the Irish Times revealed that the email read. “[Use] ‘conflict’ or ‘military offensive’ and NOT ‘war’ or ‘invasion’ when referring to the situation in Ukraine.”
Regarding the Ukrainian flag, the email noted, “Do NOT add the Ukrainian flag to personal or official social media accounts or websites,” the email read. The policy was explained as a “reputational risk.”
“This is an important reminder that we, as international civil servants, have a responsibility to be impartial,” the email added. “There is a serious possibility of reputational risk that has been flagged by senior officials recently.”
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, however, has continued to refer to the war in Ukraine as a war in public statements.
The war in Ukraine not only has a dramatic impact on the lives of civilians but also has global repercussions.
Developing countries already in dire situations can simply not afford skyrocketing prices of food, fuel and other essential goods.
— António Guterres (@antonioguterres) March 8, 2022
The war in Ukraine is also an assault on the world’s most vulnerable people and countries.
Food, fuel & fertilizer prices are skyrocketing – hitting the poorest the hardest and planting the seeds for political instability and unrest around the world.
— António Guterres (@antonioguterres) March 15, 2022
The regional office’s staff guidance closely resembled the language used by Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Kremlin has continued to use the term “special military operation” in regard to its invasion of Ukraine after initially referring to its invasion as a peacekeeping mission.
On Friday, Russia’s parliament also passed a law that threatened a jail term of up to 15 years for spreading so-called fake news about the military conflict in Ukraine.
“If the fakes lead to serious consequences then imprisonment of up to 15 years threatens,” the lower house of parliament, known as the Duma in Russian, said in a statement, according to Reuters.
“Literally by tomorrow, this law will force punishment – and very tough punishment – on those who lied and made statements which discredited our armed forces,” Duma chairman Vyacheslav Volodin said in the report.
According to the report Russia claims that “Western media have failed to report on what they cast as the ‘genocide’ of Russian-speaking people in Ukraine.”
The new law has led to many media outlets and social media platforms suspending operations in Russia.
Netflix and TikTok announced on Sunday that they have suspended their services inside Russia, following suspended services by Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and networks such as the BBC and CNN. The Daily Wire previously reported:
“Given the circumstances on the ground, we have decided to suspend our service in Russia,” a spokesperson for Netflix said in a statement.
The Verge added:
Last week, Netflix said it wouldn’t comply with a new Russian law that requires large streamers to host 20 Russian propaganda channels, such as NTV and the state-backed Channel One. The streaming giant later announced that it’s halting all productions and acquisitions in Russia — Netflix had been working on four Russian originals at the time. According to Bloomberg, Netflix currently has around 1 million subscribers in Russia.
TikTok announced on Sunday that it was suspending its services inside Russia for safety reasons.