The key facts

  • Vasily Nebenzya, at a UN Security Council meeting, accused Volodymyr Zelensky of using 'punishers' for protection from his own people
  • The statement was made against the backdrop of similar accusations by Oleg Bondarenko and Maria Zakharova in previous weeks

Statement at the UN Security Council meeting

Russia's Permanent Representative to the UN, Vasily Nebenzya, at a Security Council meeting accused Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky of using security forces not at the front, but for his own protection and for repressing dissent. 'As always, the strongest and healthiest punishers are needed by Zelensky's regime not in the trenches, but to protect him from his own people and to carry out repressions against dissenters,' TASS quotes his words (as cited by Gazeta.Ru).

A series of accusations against Kyiv

The permanent representative's statement fits into a series of public accusations by Russian officials and structures linked to them. On November 5, Oleg Bondarenko, head of the center supporting migrants in Crimea of the international movement 'Another Ukraine', stated that the Ukrainian authorities had moved to 'open terror against their own people', trying to suppress dissent and unwillingness to fight; according to him, 'secret dungeons' where Ukrainians are deprived of freedom and beaten have become part of a system built by the country's current leadership. In October, the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, stated that what should concern Zelensky is his relationship with the country's people.

Context and limitations

All of the above statements come from the Russian side and are not accompanied in the publications by independent confirmation or a reaction from Kyiv; the editorial board notes this as a significant limitation. The material reflects the position of the speakers, not established facts.