UNITED NATIONS: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Tuesday (Wednesday in Manila) accused Russia of becoming “a terrorist” state carrying out “daily terrorist acts” and called for its expulsion from the United Nations.

In a virtual address to the UN Security Council, Zelenskyy urged the New York City-based organization to establish an international tribunal to investigate “the actions of Russian occupiers on Ukrainian soil” and to hold the country accountable.

“We need to act urgently to do everything to make Russia stop the killing spree,” Zelenskyy said, warning that otherwise, Russia’s “terrorist activity” would spread to other European countries and Asia, singling out the Baltic states, Poland, Moldova and Kazakhstan.

“What is punished at the level of specific criminals and criminal organizations must not go unpunished at the level of a state that has become a terrorist,” he said. “Daily terrorist acts. No days off. They work as terrorists every day.”

In urging Russia’s ouster from the 193-member UN, Zelenskyy cited Article 6 of the UN Charter, which says a member that “has persistently violated the principles contained in the present Charter may be expelled from the organization by the General Assembly upon the recommendation of the Security Council.”

Russia’s expulsion, however, is virtually impossible. That’s because, as a permanent council member, the country would be able to use its veto to block any attempt to oust it.

Ukraine called the council meeting after Russia’s recent upsurge in attacks, including Monday’s fiery air strike on a crowded shopping mall in the central city of Kremenchuk that Zelenskyy said killed at least 18 people and wounded 30 others.

“Dozens are missing” and body fragments have been found, including hands and feet, he said, adding that unfortunately, there might be more victims.

The Ukrainian leader began his speech by listing Russia’s attacks in recent days and giving the first names and ages of many of the victims. He ended his address by asking the 15 Security Council members and others in the chamber to stand in silent tribute to commemorate the “tens of thousands” of Ukrainian children and adults killed in the war.

All members rose, including Russia’s deputy UN ambassador Dmitry Polyansky.

When he took the floor later, Polyansky protested against giving Zelenskyy a second opportunity to address the council.

The Russian envoy said the Ukrainian leader’s video address violated the council’s traditions and existing practices, which stated that leaders who wished to speak to the council must be present in the chamber.

“The UN Security Council should not be turned into a platform for a remote PR (public relations) campaign from President Zelenskyy in order to get more weapons from participants at the NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) summit” in Madrid starting Wednesday, Polyansky said.

He claimed there was no Russian strike on the mall, saying his country’s precision weapons struck hangars in the Kremenchuk road machinery plant with weapons and ammunition from the United States and Europe destined for Ukrainian troops in the eastern Donbas region.

The mall was some distance away, but the detonation of ammunition “created a fire which then spread to the shopping center,” Polyansky said.

The Russian envoy told Western nations that by supplying weapons to Kyiv, they were prolonging the time when Ukraine’s leaders “will sit down at the negotiating table with a realistic position rather than with slogans.”

“We began a special military operation in order to stop the shelling of [the] Donbas by Ukraine and so that the territory of this country, which has been turned into antiRussia at the behest of a number of Western countries, as well as its nationalist leadership, ceases to pose a threat to Russia or the inhabitants of the south and southeast of Ukraine,” he said. “And until those goals are achieved, our operation will continue.”