Russia is already losing the war it launched against Ukraine and will ultimately be defeated, Ukraine’s Permanent Representative to the UN Andriy Melnyk told the Security Council on Monday, accusing Russian leader Vladimir Putin of unleashing an unprecedented campaign of “ballistic terror” against Ukrainian civilians. Speaking at a Security Council meeting marking Ukraine’s 35th Independence Day, Melnyk delivered a forceful attack on both Moscow and what he described as the international community’s failure to take effective action to stop Russia’s war.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. “Despite all the barbaric attacks against civilians in Ukraine, Russia is already losing and will ultimately lose this war,” Melnyk said. He pointed to growing pressure on Russia’s economy from the enormous costs of the war, Western sanctions and Ukraine’s expanding ability to strike Russian oil, gas and other infrastructure supporting Moscow’s war effort. Melnyk cited the recent departure of Andrei Klepach, chief economist at Russian state development corporation VEB.RF, after the economist publicly warned about Russia’s ability to sustain a prolonged economic war of attrition against Ukraine. Russia’s federal budget deficit reached about 5.8 trillion rubles in the first four months of 2026, already significantly exceeding the government’s original 3.8-trillion-ruble target for the entire year, Melnyk said.