Disarmament blog: an extraordinary month

It’s just over a month now since the Russian armed forces launched their unprovoked, premeditated and unjustified invasion of Ukraine. Russia’s attack is an assault on Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and an egregious violation of the United Nations Charter. Its  use of indiscriminate force against innocent civilians is barbaric, and amounts to war crimes. It has shocked the world.

As President of the Convention on Cluster Munitions, I have been particularly appalled by Russia’s use of these weapons in the conflict. The use of cluster munitions has had a devastating impact on civilians in many conflict areas, and it heartbreaking to see them being used by Russia against civilian targets in Ukraine, knowing that they will likely cause death and injury long after the war is over. Even if Russia is not party to the CCM, it is bound by International Humanitarian Law. President Putin and his regime will be held to account for their actions.

This is a moment for the international community to stand up for its collective values, in support of Ukraine. Certainly my Russian counterparts here cannot be in any doubt as to the depth of their isolation, or the strength of the rest of the world’s solidarity with the government and people of Ukraine.

That was powerfully demonstrated during the High Level Segment of the Conference on Disarmament at the beginning of the month, just the week after the invasion began, when a string of Foreign Ministers and senior officials from all parts of the world underlined their condemnation of Russia’s actions. When it was Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov’s turn to speak, by video from Moscow, diplomats walked out. While Lavrov delivered his lies and flimsy pretexts to an almost empty room, we rallied outside in support of our courageous Ukrainian colleagues. That scene has been echoed many times elsewhere in Geneva as the consequences for Russia of Putin’s war become clear right across the international system.

Meanwhile, as Russia resorts to ever more barbaric means and methods of warfare to overcome resistance in Ukraine, its diplomats  use increasingly desperate disinformation and procedural tactics to try to silence or divert the international community. Neither is going to work.