Vasily Nebenzya

Vasily Alekseyevich Nebenzya (; born 26 February 1962) is a Russian diplomat and the current Permanent Representative of Russia to the United Nations. His official title is Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary.

Life and career

Nebenzya was born 26 February 1962 in Volgograd to ethnic Ukrainian parents, who trace back their heritage to the Zaporizhzhian Sich. His father was Deputy Chairman of the USSR State Committee for Publishing Aleksei Andreevich Nebenzya (1923–1994). He graduated from the Moscow State Institute of International Relations in 1983. Since then he has pursued a diplomatic career.

President Vladimir Putin appointed Nebenzya as Permanent Representative to the United Nations on 27 July 2017, and he presented his credentials to the UN Secretary-General António Guterres the following day.

Invasion of Ukraine in 2022 At the time of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in late February 2022, Nebenzya was serving as the president of the UN Security Council, a position which rotates monthly between the 15 UN member states with seats on the Council. The holder of the presidency is considered to be the "face" and spokesperson of the UNSC. On 23 February 2022 (New York time), President Vladimir Putin announced the invasion via video message while the Security Council was meeting. When the Ukrainian Representative Sergiy Kyslytsya called upon Nebenzya to "call Lavrov right now" and "do everything possible to stop the war", Nebenzya simply stated that "waking up Minister Lavrov at this time is not something I plan to do". He vetoed a proposed resolution by the UNSC condemning the invasion.

Speaking at the Eleventh emergency special session of the United Nations General Assembly on the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Nebenzya maintained that "… there is a need to demilitarize and de-nazify Ukraine" and that "media and social networks" had "distorted and thwarted" the image of Russia's actions. On 30 September 2022, Nebenzya attempted to justify the Russian occupation of southeastern Ukraine, claiming that these Ukrainian regions had chosen to be part of Russia. According to Nebenzya, one of the purposes of the Russian invasion of Ukraine is "undermining the military capability of the Ukrainian army which poses a threat to the security and territorial integrity of Russia".

At a UN Security Council meeting of 14 January 2023, Nebenzya stated that "only when the threat for Russia no longer emanates from the territory of Ukraine and when the discrimination against the Russian-speaking population of this country ends" it could stop its military actions. Nebenzya continued that "Otherwise, Moscow will get what it wants militarily".

2023 Israel–Gaza war On 1 November 2023, several weeks into the Gaza war, Nebenzya stated that Israel did not have a right to self-defense in Gaza, since it is considered an "occupying power".