On Dec. 9, Ukraine’s Permanent Representative Andrij Melnyk delivered an unprecedented statement at a UN Security Council meeting, accusing Russia of escalating shelling of civilians and infrastructure.
Ukraine’s UN Address Accuses Russia of Intensifying Civilian Attacks
At the 9 December meeting of the UN Security Council, the theme was the increasing shelling of civilians and infrastructure in Ukraine by Russian forces. Andrij Melnyk, Ukraine’s Permanent Representative, noted that Ukraine is neither offering its territory nor its sovereignty, and said “We are not at a Christmas market or the famous Czerkiz bazaar.” He stated Russia wants Ukraine to surrender, and replied that what it will get is “an empty hole from a baguette.”
The EU representative to the UN, Stavros Lambrinidis, said Russia shows no intention of achieving peace in Ukraine and that it continues to intensify attacks on civilians.
Civilian Casualties Surge in Ukraine 2025
According to a UN Human Rights Office report, the number of civilian victims in Ukraine increased significantly between June and November 2025. Daniel Bella, head of the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, said the trend is clear: casualties are rising both on the front line and in cities, attacks on energy infrastructure are ongoing, and Russia continues to use torture and treat prisoners of war in an inhumane manner.
Ukrainian Forces Regain Partial Control of Pokrovske
Ukrainian armed forces regained partial control of Pokrovske in the Dnipropetrovsk region, General Oleksandr Syrski announced. He said that the army controls 13 square kilometres north of the town, while it occupies 29 square kilometres, and that other territories more than 50 kilometres west of the town are also under Ukrainian control.
Syrski added that Myrnohrad is not encircled by Russian forces and that an operation against saboteurs is ongoing in Kupiansk in the Kharkiv region. He warned that he could not disclose all front‑line information for the safety of soldiers and reminded reporters of the scale of Russian disinformation about the fighting.
