Nebenzya accuses Ukraine of escalating conflict at UN Security Council

Russia's permanent representative to the UN, Vasily Nebenzya, accused Ukraine of deliberately escalating its conflict with Russia and then portraying itself as a victim. TASS and RIA Novosti reported the accusation on October 9. Vedomosti said the remarks came during his address to a UN Security Council meeting on Ukraine held at the request of Western countries. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]

According to RIA Novosti, Nebenzya said Ukraine had begun an operation involving strikes on Russian facilities but had failed to achieve its objective. He said a Russian military response followed. Vedomosti quoted him criticising Volodymyr Zelenskyy's statement that he needed another 40 days to continue the escalation. These accounts describe Nebenzya's assertions about the fighting. [ 2 , 3 ]

Vedomosti also reported that Nebenzya said Ukrainian attacks had killed 29 civilians, including two children, over the preceding week and injured 206 people. He said more than 8,000 people had been affected during 2026, including at least 425 children. The figures were presented as his account of the consequences of Ukrainian attacks. [ 3 ]

Nebenzya categorically rejected accusations that Moscow deliberately strikes Ukraine's civilian population, Vedomosti reported. He said Russia's targets remained military facilities and infrastructure used to support combat operations. He also denied deliberate attacks on civilian shipping, saying Russian forces target ships carrying military cargo and dual-use goods. He blamed Ukrainian actions for escalation in the Black and Azov seas and accused European countries of disregarding Kyiv's strikes on civilian vessels. [ 3 ]