The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine welcomes the adoption by the UN Human Rights Council of the resolution initiated by Ukraine, entitled “Situation of human rights in Ukraine stemming from the Russian aggression”.
The adopted document extends by one year the mandate of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine, ensuring continued independent documentation of violations of international human rights law, international humanitarian law, and international crimes committed in the context of Russian aggression against Ukraine.
The UN Human Rights Council has once again reaffirmed its strong support for the sovereignty, independence, unity, and territorial integrity of Ukraine, and condemned the aggressive war of the Russian Federation as a gross violation of the UN Charter.
The document condemns the ongoing attacks by the Russian Federation against civilians and civilian infrastructure in Ukraine, which result in numerous casualties, large-scale destruction, and deprive millions of people of access to essential services.
The resolution calls for an end to torture, enforced disappearances, unlawful detention of civilians, executions of prisoners of war, as well as sexual and gender-based violence. It relies on the findings of the Commission, which confirm that enforced disappearances and torture committed by Russia as part of a coordinated state policy constitute crimes against humanity.
The document pays particular attention to the unlawful prosecution of Ukrainian civilians and prisoners of war by Russian courts and occupation authorities. It condemns the blatant violations of the right to a fair trial, including fabricated evidence and the use of torture to extract confessions.
A key focus of the resolution is the protection of Ukrainian children. The Council emphasized that the deportation and forced transfer of Ukrainian children are carried out systematically and in line with Russia’s premeditated state policy, constituting not only war crimes but also crimes against humanity.
The document also places special emphasis on accountability. The UN Human Rights Council stresses the importance of collecting, preserving, and analyzing evidence to ensure justice, and calls upon states to apply the principle of universal jurisdiction to investigate and prosecute war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in the context of Russian aggression against Ukraine.
The resolution further underscores the importance of advancing international accountability mechanisms, including the establishment of a Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine as a key element in ensuring full accountability for this crime, and calls on states to cooperate with relevant international institutions.
The document notes the work of the Register of Damage Caused by the Aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine and ongoing efforts to establish an International Claims Commission for Ukraine.
The resolution contains clear demands for the Russian Federation to immediately cease its aggression, withdraw its forces from all Ukrainian territory, stop the deportation and forced transfer of civilians, end the practice of forced passportization, cease torture, enforced disappearances, and unlawful prosecutions, and ensure unhindered access for international mechanisms to affected individuals, prisoners of war, and unlawfully detained civilians.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine expresses its gratitude to the member states of the UN Human Rights Council that supported this resolution. Its adoption sends an important political and legal signal from the international community regarding the inadmissibility of impunity for the most serious international crimes.
Ukraine calls on the international community to strengthen joint efforts to ensure full accountability of the Russian Federation and all perpetrators, restore justice for victims, and achieve a comprehensive, fair, and sustainable peace based on the UN Charter and international law.