Is Russia a legitimate permanent member of the UN Security Council?

[AntiFascist]

According to this article, the UN Charter names the Soviet Union, not Russia:

https://theconversation.com/ukraine-invasion-should-russia-lose-its-seat-on-the-un-security-council-177870

But is Russia validly there at all? This is Ukraine’s question. The UN Charter says that the USSR, not Russia, is the permanent member. While no permanent member of the Security Council has ever been removed, two have changed – and it is worth analysing how and why, not just for the current crisis but for the next one surely coming over Taiwan.

[SheltieLover]

1. Use this to kick them out!

[MerryHolidays]

2. I agree...replace them with India

China would love that

[SheltieLover]

3. I personally wouldn't give them a seat.

They did not vote in favor of Ukraine!

[HUAJIAO]

4. I read a long article on this very question this afternoon.

It included a lot of geographical and political history.
The upshot of it was that, although showing arguments for both sides, no conclusion was reached other than-- this is indeed a valid question !

[AntiFascist]

6. I agree, it should be a valid question...

since many of the former Soviet states are now members of NATO.

By acknowledging Russia as the successor to the Soviet Union, the UN would seem to be lending legitimacy to Putin's argument that Ukraine should be considered part of the Russian empire (such as it is).

[crickets]

5. Riveting thread showing Ukraine Amb. Kyslytsy, during a UN Sec Council meeting Feb 23rd,

citing the UN Charter and asking for documents. Starts here:

Link to tweet

Accompanying article:
https://www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnbc-opinion/ukraine-s-u-n-ambassador-calls-russia-s-veto-question-n1289826

MSNBC's article is a little more hopeful than the one at The Conversation, while acknowledging that any attempt to oust Russia from their seat would take time, enough that it would do Ukraine little good in the near future. It is a fascinating question, and one that deserves further investigation.

[AntiFascist]

7. Thanks for posting the link! n/t

[crickets]

8. Thank you for the topic!

I've been looking out for more articles on the subject, hoping it isn't dropped.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

9. Why Ukraine thinks Russia doesn't belong at the United Nations

Ukraine has a good argument to strip the Russian Federation of its security council seat

Link to tweet

Sergiy Kyslytsy, who’d prepared a statement arguing for diplomacy, ditched it to castigate the Russians for their unprovoked aggression — but only after he’d read aloud the section of the U.N. Charter on admitting new members and accused Russia of having used a "sneaky" loophole to gain the power to veto Security Council action.

It's a bold claim — but one that isn’t as farfetched as it may seem. The Soviet Union died in December 1991, but there are several possible dates we might place on the U.S.S.R.’s metaphorical death certificate. Whichever one is deemed correct could alter the way international politics has functioned since the end of the Cold War.

The U.N. was born as the extension of the World War II alliance headed by the United States, Soviet Union, France, China and the United Kingdom. Those five members gained permanent seats on the U.N. Security Council, which has the ability to pass resolutions that all member states must follow. They can also veto any enforcement action, including economic sanctions, the use of force and even expulsion from the U.N.

That last point was of specific concern to Stalin during the meeting of the Soviets, British and Americans at Yalta. The Soviet dictator was unsure about his country’s participation in the post-war organization, remembering well the way the U.S.S.R. had been booted from the League of Nations in 1940, as author Stephen Schlesinger recounted in his book “Act of Creation.” The veto power would prevent such a thing from occurring, British Foreign Secretary Anthony Eden assured him. Stalin was mollified, but he also insisted on getting three seats in the U.N. General Assembly, one each for the Soviet Union, Belarus and Ukraine. The Western powers agreed, resulting in all three counting as founding members of the U.N......

Ukraine might be on the path to taking a similar tack, rallying the General Assembly’s members to either declare that Moscow can’t possess the Soviet Union’s seat and needs to reapply or pass the seat — and its veto power — on to another of the Soviet Union’s successors. But will it happen? It’s unlikely such a momentous shift in the international order would happen overnight. And even if such a change were to come in the next few days, China could still veto any set of international sanctions on Russia.

[marie999]

10. That's right let's kick the country with the second most powerful military out of the UN.

Let's stop all diplomatic channels to the Russian Federation.