Melnyk At UN: Only Putin Bears Responsibility For Civilian Deaths In Russia

Ukraine's Permanent Representative to the UN, Andrii Melnyk, asserted at the UN Security Council on Monday that Russia's leader Vladimir Putin bears sole responsibility for civilian deaths in Russia. Speaking during the commemoration of Ukraine's Independence Day, Melnyk emphasized that Ukraine has the right to target military installations in Russia, as outlined in Article 51 of the UN Charter in response to Russia's armed aggression.

He criticized the Russian Permanent Representative, Vasily Nebenzya, for complaining about Ukrainian strikes on targets deep within Russian territory, stating that Moscow had provoked the situation. Melnyk argued that Ukraine is exercising its inherent right to self-defense against Russia's aggression and that industrial facilities serving the military can be targeted if they are located in Russia.

He stressed the importance of disabling Russia's oil industry, citing facilities such as refineries, fuel depots and pipelines as examples of military targets. Melnyk reiterated Ukraine's commitment to minimizing harm to civilians while targeting only those facilities that support the Russian war effort. He dismissed Russia's claims that civilian deaths in Ukraine were due to incompetence in Ukrainian air defense, providing the example of a Russian drone strike on a supermarket in Kryvyi Rih.