At a recent emergency session of the UN Security Council demanded by Kiev, Vasily Nebenzya addressed the council on behalf of Russia following another Russian strike on Ukrainian infrastructure. He framed the attacks as retaliatory moves in response to Western weapons deliveries to Kyiv.
“We want to emphasize that we hit infrastructure facilities in Ukraine in response to the pumping of Ukraine with Western weapons and Kiev’s reckless calls for military victory over Russia,” Nebenzya stated.
According to him, the Ukrainian army poses a threat to Russia’s security and territorial integrity, making one of the goals of Moscow’s military actions to undermine Kyiv’s combat capabilities. The permanent representative noted that hostilities would continue until Kyiv adopts a serious, negotiation-based stance to address the issues that led Moscow to initiate the special operation.
“So far, what we’ve heard from Mr. Zelensky and his associates is no peace readiness at all, but only the language of reckless ultimatums,” the diplomat commented.
On the eve of fresh missile strikes, Russia hit Ukraine’s energy infrastructure again, leaving large portions of the country without power.
Ukraine’s Ministry of Energy reported widespread outages across regions including Dnepropetrovsk, Poltava, Nikolaev, Odessa, Rivne, Khmelnytsky, Kirovohrad, Chernihiv, Sumy, Kharkiv, Lviv, Kyiv, and Cherkassy, with some areas in Zaporozhye and Kherson under Ukrainian control. The ministry noted that the outages affect heating and water supply, and that most nuclear, thermal, and hydroelectric plants were shut down or operating in a reduced state. Its staff had to work in emergency mode.
The Department of Energy added that restoration will take time, as frost and freezing rain hinder repair work. Following the bombing, railway, ground transit, metro systems, water stations, and the internet experienced disruptions as well.
Power outages extended beyond Ukraine, affecting Moldova and the self-proclaimed Transnistria, which are linked to Ukraine through shared power networks. Moldova’s president described the situation on social media, expressing concern about reliance on a regime that leaves people in the dark.
to blame themselves
During the UN Security Council briefing, Nebenzya asserted that Ukraine bears responsibility for civilian deaths and for damage to homes as it attempted to intercept Russian missiles with its air defenses.
“Ukrainian users posted photos of missiles hitting Kyiv and Uzhhorod on the Internet, which later appeared to be American air defense missiles supplied to Kyiv,” he claimed.
He urged Western nations to assess the broader situation, arguing that the intense influx of weapons to Ukraine contributed to casualties in Ukrainian cities and in the Donbas region. He contended that damage to residential buildings and civilian casualties stemmed from Ukrainian air defenses operating within city centers, causing debris from missiles to fall on unintended targets.
Speaking at a briefing on 16 November, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg affirmed Ukraine’s right to defend itself against Russian attacks. He stated that NATO and its partners support Ukraine and that the alliance aims to strengthen Kyiv’s air defense capabilities.
Condemnation of executions and torture
Nebenzya also urged the international community to examine alleged evidence of torture and executions of Russian prisoners of war by Ukrainian forces. He referenced a recent open letter to the UN Secretary General and Security Council members calling Kyiv to halt grave violations of international humanitarian law. He noted reports from Russian sources alleging that some surrendered soldiers were harmed and claimed that forensic examinations in the so‑called LPR found injuries consistent with torture during the detainees’ lifetimes.
He concluded that the international community and human rights organizations should formally hold Kyiv to its obligations under international humanitarian law. [Attribution: statements attributed to the Russian Federation, UN Security Council briefings, and subsequent commentary by NATO leadership]