Russia envoy: We are not going to occupy Ukraine

Gennady Gatilov, Russia's Ambassador to the UN in Geneva, on Friday said Russia "will not occupy" Ukraine, and that troops will withdraw after completing what he described as an operation to combat "de-Nazification and militarization".

Gatilov insisted Russia's military operation was not "against the people of Ukraine" but against a "threat" to Russia, including an alleged "desire to possess" nuclear weapons.

The ambassador's statement came after the UN's top human rights body approved a resolution Friday that aims to set up a three-member panel of experts to monitor human rights violations in Ukraine.