When Russia replaced the Soviet Union as a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council in 1991, it did not even attempt to follow the process outlined in the UN Charter. Now that Russia’s usurpation of the USSR’s seat has enabled it to wage a war of aggression, the dubious legal status of its position must be revisited.

KYIV—“We the peoples of the United Nations determined to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war.” So begins the UN Charter. Yet Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine is well into its fourth year, confirming just how far the UN has strayed from its foundational promise.