Russia and the United Nations - wikipedia Russia and the United Nations Russian Federation United Nations membership Membership Full member Since 1945 ( 1945 ) ( as USSR ) 1991 ( as Russian Federation ) Former name ( s ) Soviet Union UNSC seat Permanent Ambassador Vasily Nebenzya Russia succeeded the Soviet Union 's seat, including its permanent membership on the Security Council in the United Nations after the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. The succession was supported by the USSR 's former members and was not objected to by the UN membership ; Russia accounted for about half the Soviet Union 's economy and most of its land mass ; in addition, the history of the Soviet Union began in Russia. If there was to be a successor to the Soviet seat on the Security Council among the former Soviet republics, these factors made Russia seem like a logical choice. Nonetheless, due to the rather inflexible wording of the United Nations Charter and its lack of provision for succession, the succession 's technical legality has been questioned by some international lawyers. Contents 1 History 2 Legality 3 Effect on the United Nations 4 See also 5 References 6 Further reading 7 External links History Chapter V, Article 23 of the UN Charter, adopted in 1945, provides that `` The Security Council should consist of fifteen Members of the United Nations. The Republic of China, The French Republic, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and the United States of America shall be permanent members of the Security Council. '' The USSR collapsed in late 1991. Eleven of the twelve members of the Commonwealth of Independent States signed a declaration on December 21, 1991, agreeing that `` Member states of the Commonwealth support Russia in taking over the USSR membership in the UN, including permanent membership in the Security Council. '' One day before the resignation of Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev, Ambassador Y. Vorontsov transmitted to the UN Secretary - General Javier Pérez de Cuéllar a letter from President of the Russian Federation Boris Yeltsin stating that : the membership of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics in the United Nations, including the Security Council and all other organs and organizations of the United Nations system, is being continued by the Russian Federation ( RSFSR ) with the support of the countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States. In this connection, I request that the name ' Russian Federation ' should be used in the United Nations in place of the name ' the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics '. The Russian Federation maintains full responsibility for all the rights and obligations of the USSR under the Charter of the United Nations, including the financial obligations. I request that you consider this letter as confirmation of the credentials to represent the Russian Federation in United Nations organs for all the persons currently holding the credentials of representatives of the USSR to the United Nations. The Secretary - General circulated the request among the UN membership. There being no objection, the Russian Federation took the USSR 's place, with Boris Yeltsin personally taking the Russian Federation 's seat at the January 31, 1992 Security Council meeting. Legality The legality of the succession has been questioned by international lawyer Yehuda Z. Blum, who opined that `` with the demise of the Soviet Union itself, its membership in the UN should have automatically lapsed and Russia should have been admitted to membership in the same way as the other newly - independent republics ( except for Belarus and Ukraine ). '' The elimination of Soviet ( and subsequently Russian ) membership on the UN Security Council would have created a constitutional crisis for the UN, which may be why the UN Secretary - General and members did not object. This situation could have been avoided had all the other nations but Russia seceded from the USSR, allowing the USSR to continue existing as a legal entity. A mere change of name by itself, from the USSR to the Russian Federation, would not have barred Russia from succeeding the USSR. Zaire changed its name to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and retained its UN seat. A change in the USSR 's system of government likewise would not have prevented the succession ; Egypt and many other countries have made a transition from monarchy to republic without jeopardizing their positions in international organizations. However, Blum argues that a key difference between these situations is that the Soviet Union was terminated as a legal entity. The 11 former members nations that supported the transfer of the seat to Russia also declared that `` with the formation of the Commonwealth of Independent States, the Union of the Soviet Socialist Republics ceases to exist. '' The poorly defined rules on state succession make the legal situation murky. Professor Rein Mullerson concluded that the succession was legitimate, identifying three reasons : `` Firstly, after the dissolution, Russia is ( sic ) still remains one of the largest States in the world geographically and demographically. Secondly, Soviet Russia after 1917 and especially the Soviet Union after 1922 were treated as continuing the same State as existed under the Russian Empire. These are objective factors to show that Russia is the continuation of the Soviet Union. The third reason which forms the subjective factor is the State 's behaviour and the recognition of the continuity by the third States. '' The Vienna Convention on Succession of States in respect of Treaties was not a factor in the succession because it did not enter into force until 1996. Effect on the United Nations The transition led to increased debate on the relevance of the 1945 system of a Security Council dominated by five permanent members to the present world situation. Russians abroad notes that Russia is `` only half the size of the former Soviet economy '' ; the transition thus marked a significant change in the entity exercising this permanent seat. Mohamed Sid - Ahmed noted that `` one of the five powers enjoying veto prerogatives in the Security Council has undergone a fundamental identity change. When the Soviet Union became Russia, its status changed from that of a superpower at the head of the communist camp to that of a society aspiring to become part of the capitalist world. Russia 's permanent membership in the Security Council is no longer taken for granted. The global ideological struggle that had for so long dominated the international scene is no more, and the new realities have to be translated into a different set of global institutions. '' The years following the breakup of the Soviet Union have seen a dramatic increase in the number of proposals for Security Council reform. In 2005, Kofi Annan 's report In Larger Freedom proposed finalizing arrangement to add more permanent seats as soon as possible. Campaigns to abolish the veto have also gained support, although their adoption is unlikely in the near future, since it would require the consent of the Permanent Five. Global Policy Forum has several statements from the Permanent Five on file giving arguments for why the current system should be maintained. Russia, for instance, states the veto is necessary for `` balanced and sustainable decisions ''. See also Russia portal Soviet Union portal United Nations portal International relations portal Succession of states Soviet Union and the United Nations References Jump up ^ ( 1 ) http://www.un.org/en/sections/un-charter/chapter-v/index.html Jump up ^ Letter to the Secretary - General of the United Nations from the President of the Russian Federation Jump up ^ ( 2 ) Archived March 12, 2005, at the Wayback Machine. Jump up ^ ( 3 ) Archived March 19, 2005, at the Wayback Machine. Jump up ^ `` Russian economy, the Russian economy, Russia economy, Russian economy 2002, Russian economy today, current Russian economy on ''. Russiansabroad.com. Retrieved 2012 - 07 - 12. Jump up ^ `` P - 5 Veto Outdated ''. Globalpolicy.org. Retrieved 2012 - 07 - 12. Jump up ^ `` Russia Vetoes the Abolition of the Veto ''. Globalpolicy.org. 1999 - 03 - 24. Retrieved 2012 - 07 - 12. Further reading Official site of the Permanent Mission of the Russian Federation to the UN. Blum, Yehuda Z. : Russia Takes Over the Soviet Union 's Seat at the United Nations, European Journal of International Law. Mullerson, Rein : The Continuity and Succession of States, by Reference to the Former USSR and Yugoslavia, ( 1993 ) 42 AJIL, p 476 Russia Vetoes the Abolition of the Veto, Statement by a Representative of the Russian Federation in the Open - Ended Working Group on Security Council Reform on Veto Issue, Mar. 24, 1999. Chapter 6. The Economy, Russianabroad. Sid - Ahmed, Mohamed : P - 5 Veto Outdated, Cairo Al - Ahram, July 8 -- 14, 1999. United Nations Charter. Vienna Convention on Succession of States in respect of Treaties. External links Official site of the Permanent Mission of the Russian Federation to the UN. ( in English ) ( in Russian ) Permanent Mission of the Russian Federation to the United Nations Foreign relations of Russia Bilateral relations Africa Algeria Angola Benin Botswana Burkina Faso Cameroon Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Egypt Equatorial Guinea Ethiopia The Gambia Ghana Guinea - Bissau Ivory Coast Kenya Lesotho Libya Madagascar Mali Mauritania Mauritius Morocco Mozambique Namibia Nigeria Senegal Seychelles South Africa South Sudan Sudan Swaziland Tanzania Tunisia Uganda Zambia Zimbabwe Americas Argentina Bolivia Brazil Canada Chile Colombia Costa Rica Cuba Ecuador Guatemala Guyana Honduras Mexico Nicaragua Panama Paraguay Peru Trinidad and Tobago United States Uruguay Venezuela Asia Abkhazia Afghanistan Armenia Azerbaijan Bahrain Bangladesh Bhutan Brunei Cambodia China East Timor India Indonesia Iran Iraq Israel Japan Jordan Kazakhstan Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Laos Lebanon Malaysia Mongolia Myanmar Nepal North Korea Oman Pakistan Palestine Philippines Qatar Saudi Arabia Singapore South Korea South Ossetia Sri Lanka Syria Taiwan Tajikistan Thailand Turkey Turkmenistan United Arab Emirates Uzbekistan Vietnam Yemen Europe Albania Austria Belarus Belgium Bosnia and Herzegovina Bulgaria Croatia Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Estonia Finland France Georgia Germany Greece Hungary Iceland Ireland Italy Latvia Lithuania Luxembourg Macedonia Malta Moldova Monaco Montenegro Netherlands Norway Poland Portugal Romania Serbia Slovakia Slovenia Spain Sweden Switzerland Turkey Ukraine United Kingdom Vatican City Oceania Australia Fiji Nauru New Zealand Tonga Vanuatu Multilateral relations Arab League BRICS European Union NATO United Nations Arctic policy of Russia Russia and the Antarctic Diplomacy Ministry of Foreign Affairs ( Foreign Minister ) Diplomatic missions of / in Russia European energy sector Eurasian Economic Union Treaties Relations of the United Nations with its member states Americas Brazil Canada Mexico Trinidad and Tobago United States Asia Afghanistan People 's Republic of China India Indonesia Iraq Israel and Palestine Japan Korea Lebanon Malaysia Pakistan Philippines Russia Singapore Europe Albania Armenia France Germany Luxembourg Russia Serbia Ukraine United Kingdom Oceania Australia Fiji Marshall Islands Micronesia New Zealand Tuvalu Vanuatu Others Holy See European Union Former members Republic of China German Democratic Republic Soviet Union Ukrainian SSR Yugoslavia Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Russia_and_the_United_Nations&oldid=818034533 '' Categories : Russia and the United Nations Hidden categories : Webarchive template wayback links Articles with Russian - language external links Talk Contents About Wikipedia Bahasa Indonesia Edit links This page was last edited on 1 January 2018, at 03 : 25. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia ® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization. About Wikipedia

Question: when did russia become part of the un
Answer: 1945