Ukraine called to confront the "grotesque reality" and strip Russia of its status as a permanent member of the UN Security Council

Ukraine's Permanent Representative to the UN, Andriy Melnyk, called on the organization's member states to confront the "grotesque reality" and find a political and legal mechanism to strip Russia of its status as a permanent member of the UN Security Council. He stated this during a UN Security Council debate on May 20, UNN reports.

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Melnyk, as noted on the UN website, resolutely rejected the Russian Federation's baseless accusations regarding his country's alleged violation of its legal obligations to protect the civilian population in the eastern part of Ukraine, which is brutally occupied by Moscow. He accused the Russian Federation of endlessly "repeating the same propaganda talking points that have nothing to do with the truth."

In fact, according to him, the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine reported that between January and April 2026, the number of civilian casualties increased by 21 percent compared to last year and by 93 percent compared to 2024, making the first four months of this year the deadliest for Ukrainian civilians in history.

Since Moscow can no longer make gains on the battlefield, Melnyk said, Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin is intensifying what has become his signature method of warfare: missile and drone terror against Ukrainian civilians.

He accused Moscow of systematic attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure during the winter of 2025-2026, attempting to "freeze millions of civilians into submission."

Entire cities were left without electricity, heating, and water supply in conditions of severe cold—for weeks, he said.

The Ukrainian representative also pointed to the enemy's use of "double-tap strikes" aimed at killing first responders. 

Particularly horrifying is what Ukrainian citizens near the front line describe as a "human safari"—Russian Federation drone operators hunting and killing civilians in the streets.

They deliberately target ordinary people, ambulances, and humanitarian vehicles, which the UN Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine has already qualified as crimes against humanity.

He urged member states—and the UN Security Council—to confront this "grotesque reality."

"We call on the members of this Council, we call on UN member states to confront this grotesque reality and finally determine a political and legal path to stripping Russia of its status as a permanent member of this Council,"