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Statement by Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the UN, Ambassador Sergiy Kyslytsya at the UN Security Council meeting on “Maintenance of peace and security of Ukraine”

(16 December 2024)

Madam President, distinguished members of the Security Council, Director Doughten, 

I also recognize here the residual presence of the Russian delegation as its caporegime, who keeps selling you popcorn, today in a very perverse way is trying to take on the mantle of the future FBI spokesperson. No doubt the founder of the FBI, known as Charlie the Crook Chaser, is getting all shook up in his grave ready to chase Putin’s envoy.

We are grateful to France and Ecuador for initiating this meeting to highlight the dire humanitarian consequences of the Russian invasion for the people of Ukraine.

The onset of the cold winter season, has again exposed the fact that Russia's practices against Ukraine’s civilian population amount to acts of genocide.

By targeting critical energy infrastructure in an attempt to deprive Ukrainians of electricity, heat and running water, Russia deliberately inflicts on them living conditions calculated to bring about their physical destruction in whole or in part. Such acts fall under one of the definitions of genocide as per 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.

Last Friday, December 13, Ukraine faced one of the largest attacks yet against its energy system – 94 missiles and 193 drones targeted critical energy facilities across the country.

It is worth noting that our air defense systems, including F-16 fighter jets, successfully intercepted 84 of these missiles. We reiterate our profound gratitude to all allies who continue to bolster Ukraine's defense capabilities. Their contributions are not only acts of solidarity, but also critical measures in the prevention of genocide—a noble and principled commitment that will be forever held in esteem by history.

It is alarming that Russia again targeted facilities crucial for the stable operation of Ukraine’s nuclear power plants. Five out of nine operating reactors had to reduce power following Friday’s attack.

It speaks volumes that this happened less than 24 hours after the IAEA Board of Governors adopted its resolution on “Implications of Unstable Energy Infrastructure Critical to Safety and Security of Nuclear Power Plant”. Ukraine is grateful to all states that voted for this document.

It is clear, however, that when dealing with Moscow, the strength of diplomacy must be backed by the strength of weapons and sanctions. Moreover, as Russia attacks not only Ukrainian energy facilities but also IAEA convoys as did on December 10 on a road in the Zaporizhzhia region.

Madam President,

Last Friday’s strike was the 12^th carried out by Russia against our energy infrastructure in 2024 alone. For these strikes, Russia used about 1,100 missiles, both cruise and ballistic ones. I reiterate, this is the number of missiles launched against energy facilities only.

Russia continues to use munitions, containing toxic chemicals, and we have documented 4,950 cases since February 2023. More than 2,000 Ukrainian servicemen suffered from chemical poisoning.  Today, the Security Service of Ukraine issued a notice of charges against Russian Lieutenant General Kirillov, who ordered the use of chemical weapons against Ukraine’s servicemen.

A lot of other deadly weapons remain in Russian stockpiles, mostly from the Soviet times. Guided aerial bombs are among the deadliest. In just one week, Russia launched almost 500 guided aerial bombs on  Ukrainian positions as well as residential areas of Ukrainian cities.

According to OHCHR, in September – November alone, Russia’s guided aerial bombs killed 108 civilians and injured 755 in Ukraine, representing 25% of all civilian casualties in that period. Modifications to these weapons have extended their range, exposing cities at a distance of several dozen km from the frontline to unprecedented threats.

Last week the city of Zaporizhzhia sustained two terrorist attacks by Russia. On December 6, a guided aerial bomb killed 11 local residents. Eight victims burned to death in their cars following the explosion, including 14-year-old Tanya and 11-year-old Katya. Twenty-four civilians were injured, among them three children.

In four days, on December 10, Russia again attacked Zaporizhzhia, this time with Iskander ballistic missile, hitting a private medical facility and nearby buildings. Eleven people were killed, including four medical workers, and 22 were injured.

The Kremlin also deliberately targets humanitarian personnel. Since February 2022, Russian forces have killed at least 99 Ukrainian rescuers and injured about 400 others.

The deliberate targeting of civilians, children, and first responders is a war crime, which underscores the need for the international community to hold Russia accountable and to intensify efforts to protect Ukraine’s most vulnerable populations.

Humanitarian support is vital for Ukraine. We commend the work of the UN humanitarian team in Ukraine and express our gratitude to OCHA, UNHCR, IOM, UNICEF, UNDP, UNEP, UNFPA, and other UN agencies for their active engagement in addressing the ongoing humanitarian crisis.

We also deeply appreciate the support provided by our global partners and donors. We call upon them, along with UN agencies and stakeholders, to keep Ukraine at the center of the global humanitarian agenda, alongside other affected regions.

Madam President,

As long as Russia’s war of aggression against my country lasts, the ordinary people will bear the heaviest burden.

That’s why achieving a comprehensive, just, and lasting peace in line with the UN Charter remains a key priority for Ukraine and, I believe, the entire civilized world.

This vision stands in stark contrast to what Russia demands under the guise of "peace proposals". It is a demand to capitulate and voluntarily surrender our sovereignty. And this will never happen.

Does anybody believe that Russia is interested in genuine peace, while claiming the territories it has occupied and even those it has failed to occupy?

It is just testing the strength of the democratic world’s resilience—or rather its weakness. And if such weakness is demonstrated in the case of Ukraine, the world should be ready for new waves of Russian aggression sooner rather than later.

Moscow will restore its offensive capabilities and learn from its mistakes. And then it will attack again, especially if Ukraine can no longer serve as a shield standing in the way of Russian aggression.

The pace of Russia’s rebuilding its war machine will depend on how effectively the sanctions are preserved and enforced, or how many loopholes allow Moscow to bypass current restrictions.

Fossil fuel exports are a key source of funding for  aggressive regimes. In 2023 alone, Russia earned $188 billion from oil exports.

Recently, our intelligence released a dossier on 238 "participants" in a shadow fleet of aging oil tankers. The shadow fleet consists of over 1,000 aging, poorly maintained vessels with convoluted ownership structures. With a combined deadweight of over 100 million tons—roughly 17% of the global oil tanker fleet—it represents a global challenge that literally fuels the Russian war.

This shadow fleet is also a real ecological time bomb that could go off at any moment. This was demonstrated yesterday in the Kerch Strait, where two Russian tankers were crashed, with one of them simply splitting in half. This disaster caused an oil spill, reportedly amounted to 4,000 tons of oil products.

Given the poor technical condition of the Russian shadow fleet, the recurrence of such a disaster is only a matter of time if decisive action is not taken to deprive Russia of such a tool.

Madam President,

As we are approaching the third anniversary of the “three-day military operation”, it is obvious that Putin cannot defeat Ukraine militarily.  Now he and his generals throw all available reserves onto the battleground in an attempt to grab more lands, regardless of the losses.

In October and November, Russian losses reached unprecedented levels, exceeding 40,000 soldiers per month. Remarkably, as follows from the Russian statements, these soldiers are dying in Ukraine’s Donbas region in a war against the United States—not against Ukraine. Moreover, Russia claims it has been attacked by the U.S. You may consider it to be nonsense and you will be right. But such nonsense, circulated most recently by Russian foreign minister Lavrov on the sidelines of the OSCE Ministerial meeting in Malta, serves a calculated purpose.

By publicly labeling Ukraine's allies as Russia's primary enemies, the Kremlin sends a message of intimidation: we could do to you what we are doing to Ukraine. Genocidal destruction of energy infrastructure, medium-range ballistic missile strikes—these are the tools to intimidate the free world and discourage it from supporting Ukraine.

However, these threats reveal that Putin himself is driven by fear. In truth, he dreads engaging directly with Ukraine's allies.

This fear will persist as long as our allies demonstrate unwavering resolve in supporting us—particularly by enabling Ukraine to dismantle Russia's aggressive capabilities, in particular on Russian territory. The only factor that may alleviate his fears is our own weakness and readiness to capitulate. This will never happen.

Putin's envoy may issue threats to this Council and indulge in the delusion of representing a superpower. However, the reality is starkly different: Russia’s overextended neo-imperial ambitions are steadily unraveling. The Kremlin’s intervention in Syria has culminated in failure, and the collapse of its ventures in Africa will follow.

Putin’s "small victorious war" against Ukraine will meet the same ignominious end. He knows this, just as he knows that his portraits will soon be reduced to rags, not only in Syria but in Russia itself.

The world must not succumb to the Kremlin’s bluff. Peace can and will be secured through strength, for strength remains the only language that an aggressor comprehends.

I thank you.