• Nebenzia Tells Security Council: Ukraine Facing Collapse, West Ignoring Scandals

Russia’s envoy to the United Nations, Vassily Nebenzia, used a Security Council briefing on Ukraine to accuse Kyiv of corruption, catastrophic military losses, and forced mobilisation, while sharply criticising Western governments for continued support of President Volodymyr Zelensky’s administration.

Nebenzia alleged that Ukraine’s National Anti-Corruption Bureau had uncovered large-scale embezzlement at Energoatom, the state nuclear operator, involving a close associate of Zelensky.

He claimed the scheme laundered $100 million in one year and suggested similar practices were taking place in the defence sector.

“This is only the tip of the iceberg,” he told the Council.

The Russian diplomat also cited what he said were leaked military documents, claiming Ukraine’s armed forces had lost more than 1.7 million servicemen since the start of the war, including 600,000 this year alone.

He alleged desertions had reached record levels, with 21,000 soldiers fleeing in October, and accused Kyiv of conducting violent mobilisation campaigns that included detaining citizens in public and freezing bank accounts.

Nebenzia cited incidents involving Angelina Jolie’s bodyguard and a Ukrainian journalist allegedly being seized for draft verification, and noted proposals to lower the draft age from 25 to 22.

On the battlefield, Nebenzia asserted that Russian forces were advancing across multiple regions, destroying Ukrainian weapons systems and capturing towns in Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Donetsk.

He accused Kyiv of concealing losses and refusing Moscow’s proposal to allow foreign journalists into contested areas.

He further alleged that Ukrainian forces were targeting civilians, citing incidents in Donetsk where a priest and his family were killed, and claimed that more than 300 Russian civilians had been harmed by Ukrainian shelling between October 20 and November 16.

Nebenzia dismissed calls for a ceasefire from Kyiv and European capitals as tactical manoeuvres to allow Ukraine’s army to regroup.

He said Ukraine had suspended peace talks with Moscow months earlier and accused Zelensky of using appeals for peace to distract from corruption scandals.

“Neither the Zelensky regime nor his mentors seek peace – escalation serves their interests,” he said.

In closing, the ambassador criticised NATO and EU delegations for what he described as “strict bloc discipline,” accusing them of turning Council meetings into “talk shows” and undermining the credibility of the Security Council.