The UN General Assembly resolution calls Russia’s aggression against Ukraine a “war of aggression” for the first time
18 December 2024 14:07
The UN General Assembly adopted an updated resolution “Situation of human rights in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, including the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol” with 81 votes in favor. This was reported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, "Komersant Ukrainian" informs.
The Ukrainian foreign ministry welcomed the adoption of the resolution and explained that the document covers the human rights situation in all the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, which ensures enhanced monitoring by the UN and the international community of all crimes and gross violations committed by the Russian occupation authorities against local people in these territories.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine draws special attention to the fact that this document is the first UN resolution in which the General Assembly calls the Russian aggression against Ukraine “the Russian Federation’s war of aggression against Ukraine”.
What else is the significance of the UN resolution?
The General Assembly has once again reaffirmed the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders and the non-recognition of any changes in the status of Ukrainian territories. In this regard, the UN General Assembly demanded that Russia immediately cease its aggression against Ukraine and withdraw all its armed forces from the territory of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the adoption of the document shows that the international community unequivocally condemns the crimes of the Russian occupiers, and every act of violence and human rights violation will be properly assessed and punished.
The key provisions of the resolution include condemnation of Russia’s continued disregard for international human rights law and international humanitarian law, illegal detention of Ukrainian civilians, use of torture and ill-treatment, and discrimination against residents of the temporarily occupied territories.
A substantial novelty of this year’s document is the provision condemning torture and other forms of ill-treatment of Ukrainian prisoners of war, including sexual violence, and calling on Russia to grant access to international humanitarian mandates, including the ICRC, to places of detention, ensure the provision of adequate medical care and the full exchange of all prisoners of war.
The resolution also aims to protect and return deported children: The UNGA calls on the Russian Federation to stop deporting Ukrainian children and to provide comprehensive information to the relevant UN agencies and international organizations with a list of all deported Ukrainian children, including those whose status has been changed, adopted or placed in the care of foster parents, and to take all necessary measures to ensure the safe return of these children to their homeland.
The UN General Assembly recalls the decision of the UN Secretary-General to include the armed forces of the Russian Federation and affiliated armed groups in the temporarily occupied territories on the so-called “list of shame” in the annual report “Children and Armed Conflict” for the second year in a row for the killing of children and attacks against schools and hospitals in Ukraine.
The resolution emphasizes that the Russian Federation, as the occupying power, bears full responsibility for the catastrophic consequences of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant explosion for the economy, agriculture and ecology of the region, and condemns Russia’s blocking of UN humanitarian access to the victims. It also emphasizes the inadmissibility of attacks against Ukrainian port infrastructure, port blockades and threats to civilian and commercial vessels that undermine global food security.
