Russia has vetoed a UN Security Council resolution that would have recognized the 1995 Srebrenica massacre as a genocide.

Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin called the draft "not constructive, confrontational and politically motivated." He said the draft "contained distortions, as the result of which the blame for the past was placed on one people." The Srebrenica massacre occurred when Bosnian Serb forces killed more than 8,000 people, mostly Muslim men and boys, in the Bosnian town of Srebrenica over two nights in July 1995.

The massacre is considered the worst crime committed on European soil since the end of World War Two. The Security Council intended to adopt the resolution before Saturday, which marks the 20th anniversary of the tragic event.