Today at 16:41
Ukraine’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Andrii Melnyk, has urged the UN to bar Russian personnel from peacekeeping and police missions after Russian military and security structures were included in the UN’s list of parties responsible for conflict-related sexual violence, UATV English reports.
Addressing a meeting of the UN Security Council, Melnyk condemned the actions attributed to Russian forces and welcomed the inclusion of Russian military and security agencies in the UN Secretary-General’s report on conflict-related sexual violence.
“What a shame for this inglorious Russian army and the so-called law enforcement agencies, which are nothing more than a gang of rapists,” the Ukrainian diplomat said.
According to Melnyk, allegations of sexual violence committed by Russian forces are not new. He noted that such crimes have been documented since the beginning of Russia’s occupation of Crimea and parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions in 2014. What distinguishes the latest findings, he said, is that the allegations have now been independently verified and officially recorded by the United Nations.
Citing the Secretary-General’s report, Melnyk said the UN had documented 310 cases of conflict-related sexual violence linked to Russian military and security structures. The reported abuses included rape, gang rape, genital mutilation, electric shocks, and beatings targeting victims’ genitals. According to the report, the victims included 280 men, 26 women, and four girls.
The alleged perpetrators identified in the report include members of the Russian Armed Forces, the Federal Security Service (FSB), and Russia’s Federal Penitentiary Service.
Melnyk argued that the findings should have practical consequences within the UN system. In his view, military forces that have been placed on the Secretary-General’s blacklist for conflict-related sexual violence should not be allowed to participate in UN operations.
“Russian personnel must be prohibited from serving in UN peacekeeping and police missions,” he said.
The Ukrainian ambassador also criticized Russia’s broader role within the United Nations, arguing that Moscow consistently rejects resolutions and reports documenting its actions in Ukraine. Addressing the Russian delegation, he suggested that if Russia refuses to accept the findings of UN institutions, it should reconsider its place within the organization.
Melnyk further noted that Russian armed forces have now appeared for three consecutive years in the UN Secretary-General’s report on grave violations against children in armed conflict. According to him, Russia is currently listed under both major Security Council monitoring mechanisms covering children in armed conflict and conflict-related sexual violence.
During his remarks, Melnyk also briefed Security Council members on recent Russian attacks against Ukrainian cities, the strike on a spent nuclear fuel storage facility in the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone, and what he described as Russian disinformation regarding developments in occupied territories.
Responding to renewed Russian claims that the killings in Bucha were staged, the Ukrainian diplomat stated that few alleged war crimes in modern history had been documented as extensively.
“The events in Bucha will remain a lasting stain not only on Russia’s political leadership but on the country’s historical legacy,” Melnyk said.
The emergency meeting of the UN Security Council was convened at Ukraine’s request following Russia’s latest large-scale attacks against the country.
Read also: Zelenskyy: Three Countries Will Help Ukraine Strengthen Its Anti-Ballistic Defense
