Ukrainian Ambassador to UN Slams His Russian Counterpart in a War of Words

To Kyslytsya's claim, Nebenzya said, "This isn't called a war. It is a special military operation in Donbas."

Ukraine‘s ambassador to UN, Sergiy Kyslytsya, delivering a fierce speech in an emergency UNSC meeting on Wednesday, condemned Russia for declaring war.

(Photo Courtesy: Screenshot/YouTube)

Video Producer: Shohini Bose

Video Editor: Subroto Adhikari

Ukraine‘s ambassador to the United Nations (UN), Sergiy Kyslytsya, delivering a fierce speech in an emergency UN Security Council meeting on Wednesday, 23 February, condemned Russia for declaring war against Ukraine.

Kyslytsya, in his speech, said, "The entire membership of the United Nations is under attack. Under attack by the country that occupied the membership of the Security Council in 1991 bypassing the UN charter. The country that occupied parts of Ukraine in 2014."

The UN ambassador also demanded Russia to return to the table for any negotiations, and further called for complete and immediate "verifiable withdrawal" of troops.

He asserted, "About 48 minutes ago, your president declared war on Ukraine," thereafter, challenging Nebenzya to claim otherwise.

To this, Nebenzya was heard saying, "This isn't called a war. It is a special military operation in Donbas."

“There is no purgatory for war criminals,” Kyslytsya referred to his Russian counterpart at the end of the meeting. ”They go straight to hell,” he concluded.

Ukraine MP Describes the Horrific Internal Situation 

A Ukrainian opposition MP had also shared a devastating insight into the current state of life in Ukraine as Russia bombed the country.

A day after Russian President Vladimir Putin declared a military invasion into Ukraine, the Ukrainian army on Friday, 25 February, said that Russian forces are approaching the capital city of Kyiv, where air strikes and gunfire incidents have been reported.

Lesia Vasylenko and her colleagues in the parliament voted to impose martial law after an urgent 5:30 am meeting.

“Evacuations, bomb threats... air bases and airports are being shelled or mined or bombed," she added.

"Putin is either going to destroy our country physically, or he is going to destroy us politically by putting pressure now on the people, keeping the people in fear."

Lesia Vasylenko told Sky News

Ukraine woke up to sounds of explosions across the country and stories of shelling in the eastern part of Ukraine on Thursday. The Russian troops seized control of the Chernobyl nuclear plant, after a fight took place between the Ukrainian military and the invading forces.

Putin’s directive of invasion came hours after he recognised the independence of two rebel-held areas of the Donetsk and Lugansk in Ukraine.

(With inputs from AFP.)