On Monday, the U.N. General Assembly adopted a resolution that calls for Russia to pay war reparations to Ukraine as ambassadors met to resume their emergency special session devoted to the conflict, according to the U.N. official site. Ninety-four countries voted in favor of the resolution and 14 against, while 73 abstained.
The resolution, co-sponsored by nearly 50 nations, is to establish an international mechanism for compensation for damage, loss and injury, as well as a register to document evidence and claims.
Presenting the resolution, Ukrainian Ambassador Serhiy Kyslytsya insisted that Russia must be held accountable for its violations of international law. He invoked the biblical adage that “there is nothing new under the sun” and reminded that “77 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, who claims to be the successor of 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,” he said.
Kyslytsya outlined the impact of the Russian war on his country, including bombings targeting residential buildings and infrastructure, the demolition of nearly half of the power grid and utilities, massive displacement, and atrocities such as murder, rape, torture and forced deportations.
“This proposal is not about Russia alone. It will work for the benefit of all those who are being threatened now or might be threatened later by use of force,” he stressed.
The General Assembly emergency special session began on Feb. 28, just four days after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Photo: Damaged buildings in Irpin, Ukraine (UNICEF/Anton Kulakowskiy via U.N.)
