Ukraine

EU leaders on Friday (11 March) pledged to double financing for military aid to Ukraine with a proposal for an extra €500m.

International condemnation of Moscow's war on Ukraine has reached far beyond Europe, as evidenced by
overwhelming support for a United Nations (UN) resolution condemning the invasion. Several countries have gone further and joined the EU in adopting sanctions against Russia or sending military aid to Ukraine.

New technologies are changing the means and methods of warfare, presenting a host of new threats and challenges for humanitarian actors. This is particularly true in and around Ukraine.

Ukraine addressed the UN’s highest court on Monday to reject as a “grotesque lie” Russia’s claims that genocide has been committed in eastern Ukrainian oblasts, or regions, before calling for emergency measures to halt Russian aggression.

Allowing civilians to safely leave areas under fire in Ukraine, and delivering desperately needed aid to these locations, are among immediate priorities for humanitarians, the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator, Martin Griffiths, told the Security Council on Monday. 

Russian and Ukrainian negotiators have made limited progress at ceasefire talks, agreeing on the need for humanitarian corridors for civilians.

In a resolution adopted on Friday, the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva agreed to establish a commission to investigate violations committed during Russia’s military attack on Ukraine. 

Convened at the request of Ukraine, the Human Rights Council gathered in Geneva to consider a draft resolution on the “situation of human rights in Ukraine stemming from the Russian aggression,” a week after its self-styled “special military operation” began shelling Ukrainian cities. 

An investigation into possible war crimes in Ukraine has been launched, after Russia was accused of bombing civilians. The International Criminal Court (ICC) chief prosecutor said evidence was being collected on alleged war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. It came after 39 nations called for an inquiry to be opened.

[…] OSCE Chairman-in-Office and Foreign Minister of Poland Zbigniew Rau and OSCE Secretary General Helga Maria Schmid extend their most heartfelt condolences to Maryna’s [Maryna Fenina] loved ones, as well as to the SMM as a whole: