Ukraine's Permanent Representative to the UN, Andriy Melnyk, called on UN member states on 19 May to identify a political and legal mechanism to strip Russia of its permanent Security Council membership, citing Russia's aggression against Ukraine and what he described as systematic crimes against civilians.
Melnyk made the statement during open Security Council debates on the protection of civilians in armed conflict.
Citing data from the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, Melnyk said civilian casualties rose 21% in January–April 2026 compared to the same period last year, and 93% compared to 2024. "The first four months of this year have been the deadliest period for the Ukrainian civilian population throughout the entire war," he said.
Russia has intensified missile and drone strikes against civilian targets, Melnyk told the Council, because it "is no longer capable of achieving success on the battlefield." Over the winter, he said, Russia systematically attacked Ukraine's energy infrastructure in an attempt to "force millions of civilians to submit through cold."
The envoy described Russian forces using what he called "double-strike" tactics — a second attack launched after the first specifically "to kill medical personnel and rescue workers." He also cited a practice he termed "human safari": "Russian drone operators deliberately hunt and kill civilians in the streets, targeting ordinary people, ambulances, and humanitarian transport." The UN Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine has already classified this practice as crimes against humanity, according to Melnyk.
On occupied territories, Melnyk said arbitrary detentions, torture, and enforced disappearances have become instruments of what he called Moscow's "illegal occupation policy." He noted that over 20,000 Ukrainian children have been unlawfully deported or forcibly transferred by Russia, with most subjected to "indoctrination, militarisation, and attempts to erase their Ukrainian identity."
Melnyk also expressed hope that Russia would be included in the UN Secretary-General's next annual report as a party that systematically engages in conflict-related sexual violence.
"All legal obligations regarding the protection of civilians will ultimately remain empty words if acts of aggression and associated war crimes go unpunished," Melnyk said, urging Security Council members and all UN member states to "confront this grotesque reality" and find a path to removing Russia from its permanent seat.
