Hearings on Russia’s violation of the UN Maritime Convention began in The Hague

Hearings on the merits of Ukraine’s lawsuit against the Russian Federation will be held from September 23 to October 5, 2024.

In The Hague on September 23 at 10:00 a.m. local time, hearings on the merits of Russia’s violation of the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea began. “Ukrinform” writes about this.

Ukraine will be the first to speak in court. The second will be the Russian Federation. Until the end of the hearings, public access to information will be completely closed. Only the opening and closing statements of the parties will be public. Subsequently, the adopted decision will be published on the Court’s website.

Hearings on Ukraine’s lawsuit against the Russian Federation will continue until October 5, 2024 in the hall of the Permanent Chamber of the Arbitration Court.

As a reminder, Ukraine initiated separate proceedings against the Russian Federation on September 14, 2016. The reason for the lawsuit is Russia’s occupation of the Crimean peninsula and the obstruction of shipping in the Seas of Azov and the Black Sea, as well as the Kerch Strait. The aggressor country is also accused of stealing natural resources.

In May 2017, the first meeting of the tribunal took place, within which an arbitration was created to consider the dispute between Ukraine and the Russian Federation. The memorandum on how Russia violates the sovereign rights of Ukraine in the Black and Azov Seas was submitted to the Permanent Chamber of the Arbitration Court in The Hague on February 19, 2018.

Since August 2018, the occupiers have been trying to deny the lawsuit by saying that Ukraine’s alleged claims do not actually relate to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, but are “an attempt to obtain a decision confirming Ukraine’s sovereignty over the Crimean Peninsula.”

In February 2020, the arbitral tribunal nevertheless confirmed its jurisdiction to consider Ukraine’s claim.