Vasily Nebenzya, Permanent Representative of Russia to the United Nations — Statement at the UN Security Council on Threats to International Peace and Security Following the Drone Crash in Romania
1 June 2026
Madam President,
We congratulate Colombia on assuming the presidency of the UNSC this month. We wish you every success. We thank the People’s Republic of China for their impeccable presidency.
Madam President,
We note that Romania rushed to convene this meeting and immediately leveled baseless and biased accusations against Russia. We believe that the primary purpose of our today’s gathering is to satisfy the demand by Western countries to generate yet another wave of anti-Russian hype. By hook or by crook.
In this regard, we would like to present an objective account of what happened, since the details provided by the Romanian side regarding the UAV crash in Galați raise questions from both a technical and factual perspective.
The Russian Armed Forces did conduct operations targeting the military infrastructure of the Kiev regime in the early hours of May 29. These actions are being taken in response to the terrorist attacks carried out by the Kiev regime against Russian civilian infrastructure, which are consistent and systematic in nature.
As part of those operations, we launched strikes to target facilities of the Reni Seaport in the Odessa region, through which our former Western partners supply military cargo for the Ukrainian army. There, those shipments are unloaded, stored, and then distributed throughout Ukraine to be used in attacks against our civilians. Naturally, we will destroy such shipments as early and as remotely as possible.
According to official Romanian data, there was a missile impact spotted in the city of Galați, allegedly involving a Russian “Geran-2” UAV, which – as they say – hit the roof of an apartment building. A warhead of such a UAV carries approximately 50 kg of explosives. If such a drone had indeed fallen onto the roof of the building, as they assert, the incident would certainly have resulted in significantly more damage than the fire shown in photos by the Romanian media. The roof would have been destroyed completely.
The distance from the port of Reni to the above-mentioned house in Galati is 19.5 km. If the Ukrainian army had an intention to intercept the Russian UAV in Reni, the drone would have fallen there and certainly would not have flown that far without detonating in mid-air.
All circumstances of the incident must be established through a thorough, objective, and depoliticized investigation, primarily with the involvement of the Russian side. We are ready to participate in such an investigation, but, of course, only if we are provided with objective data and the drone debris for analysis. Only then will we be able to assess what happened. This is precisely how we acted in our contacts with US representatives in December 2025, when we handed over the mission controller and other components of the Ukrainian UAVs that attempted to attack the Russian President’s residence in Valdai.
Any assessment of such incidents must be based on verified facts, not political slogans.
We would like to draw your attention to the discrepancies in the statements made by Romanian officials. Initially, they spoke of an allegedly deliberate Russian strike on a civilian facility. Then, just a few hours later, Romanian President Nicușor Dan revised that position stating that as a result of Ukrainian air defense activity, one of the Russian drones changed course and entered Romanian airspace. At the same time, nobody even considered the possibility of a provocation by Kiev aimed at testing the reaction of NATO member States and accelerating their direct involvement in the crisis in Ukraine. We also believe it is no coincidence that the drone incident occurred the day after president Zelensky appealed to US President Donald Trump to supply missiles for the American Patriot air defense systems; Zelensky also publicly lamented that Washington was ignoring his requests.
It is regrettable that Romania, without providing the Russian side with any objective data regarding the incident, immediately set out to advance the political agenda of its “senior partners.” The same applies to the statements by NATO’s Joint Force Command in Europe, which rushed to engage in pinning labels. Instead of professional cooperation, Romania opted for pre-prepared retaliatory measures – that is, the closure of the Russian Consulate General in Constanta and the demand that the Consul General leave the country within 72 hours. Once again, rather than seeking the truth, we see attempts to use an isolated incident to fuel anti-Russian hysteria. Western Russophobes are essentially creating new pretexts to rally their ranks in opposition to Russia and maintain bloc discipline, including with the aim of ensuring continued military support to the Zelensky regime. The Europeans may also take advantage of this incident as it can help them shield their Ukrainian protégés and provide at least some kind of justification for their hawkish rhetoric vis-à-vis Russia. This is particularly important in the context of the recent tragic events in the Lugansk People’s Republic of the Russian Federation, which they want to ‘erase’ from the news agenda by creating another impactful narrative.
Madam President,
Just over a week ago, on May 22, the Kiev regime carried out a horrific terrorist attack in Starobelsk. As a result of Ukrainian strikes on a dormitory of a pedagogical college, 21 people were killed – mostly young women – and over 40 students were injured. The whole world learned of yet another atrocity committed by the Kiev regime, but only the Western political establishment, including our Western colleagues on the Security Council, chose to ignore this act of terrorism. Not a single word of condolence – only accusations of “fake news” and lack of information. You all attended those meetings and must remember this well. After all, the residents of some regions are not treated as human beings by the Kiev regime and its Western patrons, and they have no reaction whatsoever when there are victims among these people. Allegedly, these are “fake, non-existent victims.” Be it the 50 people burned alive by Ukrainian Nazis in the Trade Union House in Odessa in 2014, or the 21 in Starobelsk – these people simply never existed. At the last meeting, we promised to distribute materials about these so-called “non-existent victims.” We will do so. Yet whenever there is an accident that can be framed as an anti-Russian narrative, the Western political propaganda machine is instantly launched.
This well-worn pattern has long become the “hallmark” of Europe’s approach to Ukraine. Each new incident involving a missile, a drone, or their fragments falling on EU territory is treated as a ready-made news hook. First, come accusations against Russia, followed by political conclusions that are tailored to fit these accusations. And only later, but not necessarily, can the discussion of the facts begin.
In this regard, we believe it is important to recall the incident in Przewodów, Poland, in November 2022. At that time, following the missile fall that killed two people, the Kiev regime and its Western backers hastily presented the incident as a Russian strike on the territory of a NATO member State. The media were immediately flooded with statements about an alleged Russian attack, about the need for a tough response, and even about the possibility of invoking certain NATO mechanisms to address the supposed threat. In other words, the Ukrainian authorities were essentially attempting to use the deaths of people to provoke a direct clash between Russia and NATO. It later turned out that the missile in question was actually a Ukrainian S-300. This fact sharply changed the tone of Western statements. The confidence vanished immediately, and loud accusations gave way to very cautious remarks. But the main thing never happened: we never heard either a condemnation of the Kiev regime’s actions or any acknowledgment that irresponsible allegations by Kiev could have pushed Europe to the brink of a far more dangerous scenario. None of those who automatically blamed Russia for everything bore any political accountability for their hasty, baseless accusations. No one ever demanded an explanation from Kiev.
The incident in Galați is in no way an isolated case. Ukrainian missiles and UAVs are being spotted in more and more countries in Europe, affecting Poland, Romania, Latvia, Lithuania, and Finland. Ukrainian drones are falling in these countries, which has even forced some governments to resign. Yet, such incidents remain on the periphery of the UN Security Council’s attention. The blame is routinely placed on Russia, yet European leaders fail to acknowledge that this is a natural consequence of their own policies. Each new incident of this kind is a direct result of their destructive policy of arming the Kiev regime and prompting further escalation. Then, after some time has passed, yet another “Russian trace” turns out to be actually a Ukrainian one. However, Western governments prefer to keep silent about this and avoid convening Security Council meetings. Because condemning Kiev would essentially mean acknowledging their own responsibility.
Madam President,
Given the Security Council’s busy agenda, we believe it is important to use this meeting to draw attention to a truly critical issue concerning the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP). Just two days ago, militants of the Kiev regime used fiber-optic drones to hit a turbine building of the plant’s sixth power unit, which resulted in damage to a metal access hatch several levels up in the building. It was only by sheer luck that the reactor compartment, located 10 meters from the explosion, was left unaffected. IAEA inspectors who arrived at the site of the attack confirmed that the plant had been hit.
We urge the members of the Security Council to issue a principled and objective assessment of the reckless actions by the Kiev regime, which generate a threat of catastrophic radioactive contamination not only for Russia and Ukraine, but also for a number of European countries. After all, this is not the first time the ZNPP has been shelled by the Ukrainian army; attacks have been going on for a long time, targeting both the plant and its satellite city, Energodar. It would seem that this is precisely where European States should be most concerned. However, we see neither urgent statements from Brussels, nor emergency meetings of European leaders, nor demands on Kiev to cease such actions. This is yet another indicator that EU countries are deliberately, and solely for political reasons, “turning a blind eye” to the crimes of the Zelensky regime. But should the catastrophe occur, no one will be able to sit out safely. Radioactive contamination knows no national borders. Its consequences will affect the entire European continent.
The reaction of the UN Secretariat and the IAEA to the current situation is particularly perplexing. They are trying to wear two hats, expressing “concern” and speaking of the need to “exercise restraint” and “avoid escalation.” Their vague rhetoric and all their unsubstantiated calls for peace do little to defuse the current escalation. Unfortunately, they only create an atmosphere of impunity, egging the Kiev regime on to commit new crimes.
Thank you.
Right of reply:
Madam President,
I recall how at the last session, Mr. Melnik claimed that the tragedy in Starobelsk was a hoax, that nothing happened there, and that it could not be verified. And even if people did die, he said, they were adults.
I already mentioned that today we will show the alleged “adults” who died in Starobelsk and what kind of “hoax” this is.
Here are photos of these “adults”: Elena Martimyanova – 20 years old (yes, technically she is of age), Anna Pogribnichenko – 19 years old. I can continue this list. There are 21 photos here with dates of birth and dates of death.
The cynicism with which Mr. Melnik allows himself to mock human lives, the lives of children, exceeds all possible bounds.
I will not comment on Zaporozhye – we will address that issue separately. I have already said everything I wanted to say on this matter.
These materials will be sent to you today and distributed among the members of the Security Council and the General Assembly.
Thank you.