The United Nations General Assembly approved a resolution on Monday that recommends Russia pay war reparations to Ukraine for the damage and loss of life during the war. The adopted resolution demands that Russia be held accountable for violating international law by UN genef.
A total of ninety-four votes were in favor of the resolution, while fourteen voted against it. And seven-three states out of 193 member states abstained. Fourteen countries voted against the resolution, including Russia, China, and Iran, while the list of abstained countries includes Brazil, India, and South Africa.
It recognizes the need to establish “an international mechanism for reparation of damage, loss, and injury.”
The resolution followed Russia’s withdrawal from the city of Kherson after months of occupation.
Ukrainian Ambassador Sergiy Kyslytsya said: “Seventy-seven years ago. The Soviet Union demanded and received reparations, calling it a moral right of a country that has suffered war and occupation.”
“Today, Russia, which claims to be the successor to the 20th century’s tyranny, is doing everything it can to avoid paying the price for its own war and occupation, trying to escape accountability for the crimes it is committing.” (Aljazeera)
Notably, he then highlighted that Russia also supported the creation of the United Nations Compensation Commission (UNCC), which was established in 1991 following Iraq’s invasion and occupation of Kuwait.
The United Nations commission of inquiry stated in late September that it had discovered a variety of war crimes, including sexual and gender-based violence.
To this Russian ambassador to the United Nations, Vassily Nbenzia said: “The countries of the West never considered reparations as a way of atoning for their own sins.”
“The West is trying to draw out and worsen the conflict and plans to use Russia’s money for it.”
“These countries boast about how committed they are to the law, but at the same time, they are flouting its very semblance,” he added. (UN News)
In the aftermath of the invasion, Russia has been able to block any action taken by the United Nations Security Council due to its veto power.
“Ukraine will have the daunting task of rebuilding the country and recovering from this war, but that recovery will never be complete without a sense of justice for the victims of the Russian War,” the Ukrainian ambassador said.