OPINION Russia’s conflict against Ukraine should stop immediately
Sinikka Antila (European Union ambassador to Namibia) Herbert Beck (German ambassador to Namibia) Sebastien Minot (French ambassador to Namibia) Leena Viljanen (Finnish ambassador to Namibia) Leonor Esteves (Chargé d’Affaires a.i. of Portugal to Namibia) Charles Moore (British High Commissioner to Namibia) Hideaki Harada (Japan’s ambassador to Namibia) Jessica Long (Chargé d’Affaires a.i. of the US to Namibia)
WhatwearefacinginEurope is not “tensions between Russia and Ukraine” but an unjustified, premeditated and barbaric war by Russia against Ukraine, a sovereign, independent country. The unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, which we condemn in the strongest possible terms, is an egregious violation of international law, including the UN Charter. The ongoing attack is not only against Ukraine, but against stability in Europe and, beyond, against the international rules-based order and the pillars of multilateralism, to which Namibia is so deeply committed, as are our respective States and institutions. Any unilateral change of the status quo by force is totally unacceptable. We demand that President Putin ceases all military operations immediately, and implements an unconditional withdrawal of all Russian forces and military equipment from the entire territory of Ukraine. President Putin is fully responsible for this war, and will be held accountable for all the destruction and loss of life it has caused.
Let’s look at the facts. Russia said it had no intention of invading Ukraine: it did. Russia said it only targets military infrastructure, but hundreds of hospitals, schools, universities, theatres and residential buildings have been destroyed, in cities across Ukraine (and in Mariupol alone, it is estimated that 90% of all buildings have been damaged or destroyed). Russia said it would not target any civilians in Ukraine, yet thousands have so far been killed because of Russian military action, including women and children. In addition, Russia’s military action has caused a humanitarian disaster not seen in Europe since World War II, with 10 million Ukrainian citizens fleeing their homes and 3.5 million having left the country since the beginning of the war in search of safety from the intensifying attacks. Russia accused NATO of “provocation”, but NATO is a defensive alliance, as expressly stated in the North Atlantic Treaty of 4 April 1949. In contrast, Russia has significant numbers of troops in other countries without their consent.
Ukraine has been targeted by Russian aggression since 2014, when the Crimea was illegally seized by Russia. Contrary to Russian claims, there was no West orchestrated coup d’état in Ukraine at that time. That violation of Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty, and Russia’s current aggression, are indefensible. We see mounting credible reports that Russia’s forces have committed war crimes in Ukraine, including reports of the intentional targeting of civilians and indiscriminate attacks. We will hold Russia accountable, including by supporting criminal prosecution, where appropriate. Russian justification for its so-called “Special Military Operation” in Ukraine is entirely fabricated, and has no historical or factual validity. Russia is using disinformation and deceit in order to further its territorial ambitions.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine has provoked swift and strong reactions by the international community. Russia has rightly been condemned and isolated in all key United Nations bodies, including the Security Council, General Assembly, Human Rights Council and UNESCO. International sanctions
have been applied, to exert maximum economic pressure on Russia for its actions. Russian aircraft have been banned from all European airspace, and all Russian shipping vessels have been barred from European waters. Russia has been barred from hosting or participating in regional and global sporting events, including FIFA, UEFA, the Olympic and Paralympic Games, and F1. Russia’s credit rating is now “junk status”. But these measures have not so far been enough to force Russia to cease its military action.
Ukraine, a country of more than 40 million people, sits between the European Union and Russia. By surface area, it is the second largest country in Europe (after Russia), and the fifth largest producer of wheat in the world.
Distant countries like Namibia may wonder why this particular conflict matters to them. At any given time, there are dozens of conflicts and wars happening around the world, all claiming lives and causing hardship and distress. But this conflict is different. It isn’t about Europe: it’s about the international rules-based order which is being directly challenged and threatened by one UN member state. It’s about freedom, democracy and sovereignty. Unchecked, the impact will be felt across the globe, including here in Namibia.
The exceptional mobilisation of the United Nations General Assembly to denounce the Russian aggression against Ukraine, with an overwhelming majority of 141 votes in favour (and 5 against, out of 181), bears witness to a universal will to defend peace and the fundamental principles of international law. Even with Russia wrongly interpreting support from those countries who abstained, the UNGA vote represented a resounding condemnation of the illegal and unprovoked attack by Russia on a sovereign state.
The same principles of international law are also fundamental to the African Union: territorial integrity, sovereignty, and political independence, peaceful settlement of disputes and rejection of aggression. These principles are enshrined in both the UN Charter and the founding texts of the African Union, in particular Art 3 b of the Constitutive Act of the African Union.
Russia clearly underestimated the strength and unity of the international response to its military action.
On 16 March 2022, the International Court of Justice ordered Russia to “immediately suspend the military operations that it commenced on 24 February 2022 on the territory of Ukraine” and to
“ensure that any military or irregular armed units which may be directed or supported by it, as well as any organisations, persons which may be subject to its control or direction, take no steps in furtherance of the military operations”. The Court also stated that it was not in possession of evidence substantiating the allegation of the Russian Federation that genocide has been committed on Ukrainian territory. The court noted its profound concern about Russia’s use of force. The court also ordered both parties to “refrain from any action which might aggravate or extend the dispute before the court or make it more difficult to resolve”. We support the provisional measures by the ICJ and strongly demand that Russia immediately comply with the order on provisional measures.
At their recent Summit on 17/18 February, the European Union and the African Union reaffirmed their shared commitment to multilateralism, which is now being trampled on by the Russian war of aggression. The argument that the Ukrainian conflict is a matter between great powers is false. The ability of the multilateral framework to enforce the law and sustain peace is the best protection for states that feel vulnerable.
International sanctions against Russia
The international community has reacted strongly and united with the largest ever sanction package towards Russia. The international sanctions adopted to respond to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine are of an unprecedented magnitude. These sanctions will take a heavy toll on the Russian economy and on the Kremlin. They impose huge costs on the aggressor, but they are not cost-free for the globe more generally. We are working towards the widest possible international condemnation and isolation of Russia by the international community and sanctions are a key tool and send a powerful message that we stand united in our support to Ukraine. The sanctions are carefully targeted, and aimed at those responsible for policies or actions we want to influence, while reducing as much as possible any unintended consequences. The sanctions are first and foremost directed at the Russian government and the economic elites in order to prevent the Kremlin from financing the invasion of Ukraine.
Russia’s war harming civilians What we are seeing Russia do to the people of Ukraine is heart wrenching and horrific. Bombing hospitals, apartment buildings shelled, families killed while seeking safety from this terrible violence. We are also seeing reports of other types of potential abuses, including sexual and gender-based violence. It’s devastating and unacceptable.
We condemn in the strongest possible terms the ongoing siege of the city of Mariupol and other Ukrainian cities under heavy bombardment by the Russian Armed Forces. We continue to see very credible reports of widespread, increasingly devastating deliberate attacks on civilians. These include strikes hitting schools, hospitals, churches, civilian vehicles, and multiple residential areas. Reports of civilian deaths are proliferating, running from hundreds to thousands. We saw with horror credible reports that Russia’s forces bombed a theatre in Mariupol in which civilians had taken refuge, in what may be the greatest mass civilian casualty incident so far during Russia’s illegal invasion. The Kremlin has offered no plausible explanation for this attack. Putin has the capacity to reign in his forces. Yet he has not done so. To the contrary, everything we’ve seen from the Kremlin suggests Putin is intensifying and widening these attacks. As a result, many hundreds of civilians are dying.
We urgently call on Russia to respect humanitarian corridors and allow for the evacuation of the civilian population to other parts of Ukraine. We call on Russia to urgently allow humanitarian aid into Ukraine.
Chemical or biological weapons: fake news?
We have taken note of statement of the Russian Defence Ministry regarding the alleged destruction of biological agents in laboratories in Ukraine. It should be noted that Russian disinformation has a track record of promoting manipulative narratives about biological weapons and alleged ‘secret labs’ (debunked numerous times by EU vs Disinfo and independent fact-checkers). All disinformation claims have been proven false until now.
To the contrary, we have serious concerns that Russia may be planning to use chemical or biological agents in Ukraine. Russia has a long and well-documented track record of using chemical weapons. Russia – not Ukraine – runs a large chemical and biological weapons program in violation of international law. The escalating level of rhetoric from the Russians to try to accuse the Ukrainians of potentially using chemical or biological weapons could be an indicator that the Russians are getting ready to do it and pin the blame elsewhere. This would be a very serious error, which must be prevented.
The economic consequences of war
The economic consequences of Russia’s war against Ukraine are global (increased wheat and commodity prices, disruption of international trade, slowing of world growth). The continuation of Russia’s war of aggression will therefore inevitably have concrete dire consequences in Africa, which are now only at their beginning.
Ukraine is an important producer of agricultural products and is the world’s fifth-largest exporter of wheat. Any negative impact on agricultural commodity production in Ukraine, and therefore on global food security, is resulting from the Russian aggression and military activities on Ukrainian soil, not from the international sanctions.
According to the recent report by OECD the sanctions will cause serious economic downturn in Russia. The joint GDP of Russia and Ukraine is only 2 % of the Global GDP. The impact of the Russian invasion to the global economy is based on the fact that these countries are big exporters of agricultural products, minerals and raw materials. Russia and Ukraine produce 30 % of the global export of wheat, 25 % of the export of fertilizers and 20 % of maize export. The price of wheat has doubled over the last three weeks since the war started. Also the prices of maize and fertilizers have gone up, along with the oil prices. The increase of the prices hits hardest the lower income countries because they spend the largest share of their incomes on energy and food.
The Ukrainian resistance that Russia had underestimated did not allow it to succeed in a blitzkrieg. The ICC Prosecutor has already announced the opening of an investigation into possible war crimes and crimes against humanity.
So what can we do?
In the face of a potentially protracted war of aggression, and violence against the civilian population that continues to escalate, the international community must remain united and mobilised in seeking a path to peace.
The Russian and the Ukrainian negotiators have engaged in searching for a path to peaceful ending of the war. We support Ukraine’s diplomatic efforts to bring an end to this war, but diplomacy requires both sides engaging in good faith, and President Putin has yet to demonstrate intention to end the war he started. We support all genuine and meaningful efforts to bring an end to the war.
We know that millions of Russians do not want this war. We applaud the courage of those Russian citizens who dare to publicly oppose the war, in spite of censorship and repression. The media landscape in today’s Russia is dominated by censorship & systematic crackdown on media, journalists & NGOs. Media outlets are being silenced for giving a platform to sources and voices that challenge the falsified picture of the situation on the ground in Ukraine as portrayed by the Russian government and the disinformation network under its control, including Russian statecontrolled TV channels.
Namibia knows just too well the importance of freedom of expression and ensures its respect. We should remind Russia that freedom of expression, including for members of the media, is enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the European Convention on Human Rights, to which Russia is a party.
Africa can have political influence in this crisis of exceptional gravity, and we consider it to be a common interest to apply all available tools and options to bring Russia back to where it belongs, to the concert of the Nations.