During the Security Council's open debate, Ukraine's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Andriy Melnyk, called on the international community to find a political and legal mechanism to strip Russia of its permanent membership in the Security Council. He highlighted Russia's systematic attacks against Ukraine, which are accompanied by large-scale violence against civilians. Melnyk stressed that the first months of this year were the deadliest for Ukrainians, and recalled the attacks on energy infrastructure and the tactics of «double strikes» against rescuers and medics.
Melnyk's speech at the UN Security Council debate
During the open debate of the UN Security Council Andriy Melnyk called on the OSCE member states to reconsider Russia's status as a permanent member of the body. According to the Permanent Representative of Ukraine, Russian aggression against Ukraine is characterised by the particular brutality and systematic nature of the violence committed against civilians.
The deadliest period for civilians
Melnyk noted that the first four months of 2026 were the deadliest period for Ukrainian civilians for the entire duration of the full-scale war. He stressed that Russian troops systematically attacked Ukraine's energy infrastructure in the winter, trying to force millions of people to submit to the cold and lack of basic living conditions.
Attacks on rescuers and a call to action
The Permanent Representative of Ukraine also reported on the use of the so-called “double strikes” tactics by the Russians - when the first attack is followed by a second one aimed at eliminating medical personnel and rescuers arriving at the scene. Melnyk stressed that legal obligations to protect civilians will remain empty words if aggression and war crimes will not be punished. As a result, he appealed to the members of the Security Council and all UN member states to confront this reality and find a mechanism to revoke Russia's permanent membership of the Security Council.
