Prospects for State and Individual Responsibility in Cases of Aggression in the Context of Russia’s Armed Aggression Against Ukraine

Abstract

Notwithstanding the war that raged through the former Yugoslavia in the 1990s, Russia’s aggression against Ukraine is admittedly the first armed conflict of such a scale to take place almost in the heart of Europe. The Russian–Ukrainian war poses a threat to the international order, and risks escalating into a Third World War, especially if Belarus sides with Russia to participate in the armed conflict. While it could seem that in the 21st century all issues and conflicts arising between states should be resolved at the diplomatic level, in accordance with the requirements and norms of relevant international pacts and treaties, humanity still turns to such a destructive and cruel way of resolving them as war. This article explores the issue of accountability prospects for crimes perpetrated in the context of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, both from the viewpoint of State responsibility and from that of individual criminal responsibility.