While the total number of international treaties and norms violated by Russia in its aggression against Ukraine exceeds 400, compiling an exhaustive list is a task for legal archives. However, it is possible to list over 50 of the most significant violations to illustrate the depth and breadth of Russia's disregard for international law. This list is not merely a historical record; it is the fundamental context for understanding why trust in any agreement with the current Russian regime is considered impossible by many.
The violations are categorized for clarity.
I. Foundational Bilateral and Security Agreements
1. Budapest Memorandum (1994): Violated by attacking Ukraine's sovereignty and borders after it gave up nuclear weapons.
2. Treaty on Friendship, Cooperation, and Partnership (1997): Violated by breaching territorial integrity and the principle of non-aggression.
3. Treaty on the Russian-Ukrainian State Border (2003): Violated by crossing and attempting to annex internationally recognized borders.
4. Agreement on the Status and Conditions of the Black Sea Fleet (1997): Violated by using the fleet and its base in Crimea to annex the peninsula.
5. Kharkiv Accords (2010): Violated by seizing the territory where the naval base was leased.
6. Minsk I Agreement (2014): Violated by failing to implement the ceasefire and continuing to support armed groups.
7. Minsk II Agreement (2015): Violated by the same failures as Minsk I, culminating in the 2022 invasion.
8. Agreement on the Creation of the Commonwealth of Independent States (1991): Violated by breaking the principle of respecting members' sovereignty and borders.
II. Core Principles of International Law (UN Charter & OSCE)
9. UN Charter, Article 2(4): Prohibition of the threat or use of force.
10. UN Charter, Article 2(3): Obligation to settle disputes by peaceful means.
11. UN Charter, Article 2(1): Principle of sovereign equality of all member states.
12. Helsinki Final Act (1975), Principle I: Sovereign equality and respect for rights inherent in sovereignty.
13. Helsinki Final Act, Principle II: Refraining from the threat or use of force.
14. Helsinki Final Act, Principle III: Inviolability of frontiers.
15. Helsinki Final Act, Principle IV: Territorial integrity of States.
16. Helsinki Final Act, Principle V: Peaceful settlement of disputes.
17. Helsinki Final Act, Principle VI: Non-intervention in internal affairs.
18. Declaration on Principles of International Law concerning Friendly Relations (1970): Violated all core principles.
III. International Humanitarian Law (The Laws of War)
19. Geneva Convention (I) on the Wounded and Sick in Armed Forces (1949): Violated by attacks on medics and hospitals.
20. Geneva Convention (III) on the Treatment of Prisoners of War (1949): Violated by torture, summary execution, and denial of rights to POWs.
21. Geneva Convention (IV) on the Protection of Civilian Persons (1949): Massively violated through:
22. - Deliberate attacks on civilian areas.
23. - Forced deportation of civilians, including children.
24. - Use of human shields.
25. - Destruction of critical infrastructure (power, water).
26. - Denial of humanitarian access.
27. Additional Protocol I to the Geneva Conventions (1977): Violated by indiscriminate attacks and disproportionate use of force.
28. Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property (1954): Violated by the deliberate destruction of churches, museums, and historical sites.
29. Convention on the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (1993): Violated by repeated threats of use.
30. Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (1980): Violated through the use of prohibited mines and booby-traps in civilian areas.
31. Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court: Actions constitute the crime of aggression, war crimes, and crimes against humanity as defined by the statute.
IV. Human Rights Law
32. Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948): Violated rights to life, liberty, and security.
33. International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (1966): Violated prohibitions on torture and arbitrary detention.
34. Convention against Torture (1984): Violated through systematic use of torture in occupied territories.
35. Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989): Violated by the forced transfer and deportation of Ukrainian children.
36. International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance (2006): Violated by abducting activists, officials, and civilians.
37. European Convention on Human Rights: Violated numerous articles before Russia's expulsion from the Council of Europe.
V. Maritime, Air, and Economic Law
38. UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS, 1982): Violated by blocking Ukrainian ports, impeding freedom of navigation, and illegally claiming Ukrainian maritime zones.
39. Convention on International Civil Aviation (Chicago Convention, 1944): Violated by endangering civilian air traffic and the illegal re-registration of aircraft.
40. CIS Free Trade Zone Agreement (2011): Violated by imposing trade blockades and restrictions.
41. Bilateral Agreement on Air Services: Violated by unilaterally terminating flights and closing airspace.
42. Bilateral Investment Treaties: Violated by the illegal seizure of Ukrainian state and private assets in occupied territories.
VI. Other Key Multilateral and Bilateral Agreements
43. OSCE Vienna Document on Confidence- and Security-Building Measures: Violated by failing to notify of large-scale military exercises and troop movements.
44. Treaty on Open Skies (Russia withdrew after US): Violated the spirit of transparency and arms control.
45. Partnership and Cooperation Agreement between the EU and Russia (1994): Violated by undermining the security and stability of an EU partner country.
46. NATO-Russia Founding Act (1997): Violated by abandoning the commitment to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all states.
47. Bilateral agreements on scientific and technical cooperation.
48. Bilateral agreements on cultural exchange.
49. Bilateral agreements on cross-border cooperation.
50. International Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism (1999): Violated by financing proxy armed groups in the Donbas since 2014.
This extensive, though incomplete, list of Russia's treaty violations demonstrates that its aggression is not just an attack on Ukraine, but an assault on the entire global system of rules and laws established to prevent such conflicts.
