On 2 October, an expert roundtable entitled “International Legal Response to Russia’s Aggression in Maritime Areas” was held in Odesa. The event was organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine in cooperation with the Ukrainian Association of International Law, the State Scientific Institution “Institute of Information, Security and Law of the National Academy of Legal Sciences of Ukraine”, and the NGO “Foundation for the Support of Scientific Research”.
The event brought together representatives of the Department of International Law and International Legal Counteraction to Aggression of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine, the Ministry for Restoration, Infrastructure and Transport of Ukraine, the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine, the Office of the Prosecutor General, the Security Service of Ukraine, the Command of the Naval Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the Administration of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine, as well as representatives of the academic and expert communities and the Permanent Representative of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea.
The roundtable focused on current issues of the international legal response to Russia’s aggression against Ukraine in maritime areas, including the current state and further development of international legal mechanisms for protecting Ukraine’s rights and interests.
The participants held an expert discussion on the proceedings and outcomes of Ukraine’s arbitration cases against the Russian Federation initiated under the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, as well as their significance for ensuring the Russian Federation’s accountability for violations of international law.
Particular attention the parties paid to the application of international humanitarian law, including the law of naval warfare, in the context of Russia’s armed aggression against Ukraine. The participants also discussed current approaches to holding the aggressor state accountable for activities in maritime areas and the possibilities for using existing international legal mechanisms to protect Ukraine’s rights and interests and ensure an appropriate response to violations of international law.