Andriy Melnyk, Ukraine's Permanent Representative to the UN, made a sharp statement at a Security Council meeting. The diplomat called on Western countries to radically revise the volume of military aid, stating that support for Ukraine's air defense system must increase by at least tenfold. According to him, only such a step can adequately respond to the new, unprecedented scale of aerial terror practiced by Russian military forces.

Admission of indiscriminate strikes

Melnyk paid special attention to Moscow's propagandist rhetoric. He noted that the Russian information machine has effectively admitted to abandoning the distinction between military and civilian targets. As evidence, the diplomat cited a quote from the well-known Russian TV host Vladimir Solovyov, who stated that Russian missiles "have no eyes".

"For years, the Kremlin claimed to strike only military targets," Melnyk emphasized. "But now even their own propaganda confirms that civilian killings are indiscriminate." The diplomat also refuted the Russian Foreign Ministry's statements about strikes on "decision-making centers," pointing to the destruction of the Lukianivsky Market in Kyiv — an object unrelated to military infrastructure.

The cost of barbarism and a call for sanctions

Melnyk translated the scale of destruction into an economic equivalent. Based on open sources, he estimated that the cost of one massive attack on Kyiv amounted to about $360 million. The diplomat reminded that these funds could have ensured the construction of 35 modern schools or 12 fully equipped hospitals.

In his speech, Ukraine's Permanent Representative voiced a number of tough demands to the international community:

  • Strengthening sanctions pressure on Russia to cut off funding for the war machine.
  • Adoption of a resolution on an immediate and unconditional ceasefire.
  • Release of all prisoners of war and civilians under the "all for all" formula.
  • Searching for a mechanism to deprive Russia of its permanent membership in the UN Security Council.

Melnyk also emphasized that Ukraine's retaliatory strikes on military targets deep inside Russian territory are effectively undermining the Kremlin's ability to wage war. Tammy Bruce, Deputy Permanent Representative of the United States to the UN, supported Kyiv's position, calling Russia's actions "barbaric escalation" and reminding Moscow of its legal obligations.