The Russian ambassador to the United Nations, Vasily Nebenzya, reiterated Moscow’s view that Ukraine has become a focal point of tension between the West and Russia, a narrative he presented during a Security Council session at the UN. The remarks were carried by TASS and echoed Moscow’s continuing position that the conflict is part of a broader struggle over influence and security in Europe.
Nebenzya referenced comments made by a British colleague during the same meeting, noting a dispute over the draft resolution proposed by Belarussians and the way it balanced responsibilities for the conflict. He implied that those who criticized the balancing act appeared to equate the aggressor with the victim, a charge he framed as a provocative simplification of a much more complex dynamic. He questioned whether those criticising the position did not recognize the deeper consequences of the ongoing crisis, drawing attention to an image he described as unsettling, with the victim seemingly stained by blood and bearing Nazi tattoos as a symbol of the brutal war landscape surrounding the conflict. These remarks were presented as part of a broader argument about moral equivalence in the crisis and the framing of responsibility in international discourse, as reported by TASS.
Earlier, Nebenzya spoke during a special General Assembly session focused on Ukraine, presenting his assessment of the situation as a struggle for strategic survival in the face of Western policies. He suggested that the current stance of Western powers represented a deliberate attempt to reshape the security order by backing Kyiv, and he framed the events as a test of endurance for Moscow and its allies. The representative described efforts seen since 2014 as a deliberate plan to establish and strengthen a hostile state near Russia’s borders, a narrative that has been repeatedly voiced by Moscow in relation to Kyiv and its Western backers. The diplomat tied these developments to a broader pattern of Western rhetoric and actions, which he characterized as part of an ongoing campaign against Russia and its regional security interests, as documented by TASS.
In Nebenzya’s recounting, the evolution of the Ukraine crisis is framed as a long-term confrontation that has involved political and military dimensions, alongside an information campaign aimed at shaping international opinion. He asserted that the West began pursuing a strategy to contain Russia more aggressively after 2014, highlighting the creation of a security environment that Moscow views as being anti-Russian in nature. He also referenced a climate of Russophobia and the provocative suggestion to deploy heavy military hardware, including German tanks, in a context that he said would escalate hostilities and threaten regional stability. These assertions were part of a broader argument about the risks posed by Western policy choices and the perceived misalignment between stated humanitarian aims and strategic objectives, as reported by TASS.