An overwhelming majority of countries castigated Russia on Wednesday over its claims to have annexed Ukrainian territory, with 143 voting in favor of a critical U.N. resolution after heavy lobbying by the U.S., Britain and the European Union.
Five countries voted against the resolution — Russia, and four other dictatorships: North Korea, Syria, Belarus and Nicaragua.
It was a stronger showing than many Western officials had predicted ahead of the vote. The ballot followed one of Russia’s biggest attacks on Ukraine since its invasion in February, with missile strikes in more than 20 Ukrainian cities, including Kyiv, the capital.
Among the notable yes votes on Wednesday were Bangladesh, Iraq and Morocco, which either abstained or did not vote on an earlier U.N. resolution in March condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
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