LOAC and the Crimea
A disturbing news item: it appears that Russian soldiers have killed at least one Ukrainian soldier at a Ukrainian military base in the Crimea, possibly heralding a violent resolution to the tense armed standoffs at various Ukrainian military facilities in freshly-departed territory. Let's hope this was a one-off episode, not to be followed by higher-intensity violence. That said, we might pause to ask about the legal context. In my view the law of armed conflict alr
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in Cooperation With
A disturbing news item: it appears that Russian soldiers have killed at least one Ukrainian soldier at a Ukrainian military base in the Crimea, possibly heralding a violent resolution to the tense armed standoffs at various Ukrainian military facilities in freshly-departed territory. Let's hope this was a one-off episode, not to be followed by higher-intensity violence. That said, we might pause to ask about the legal context. In my view the law of armed conflict already had come into play thanks to Russian occupation of part of the Ukraine's territory (not just the Crimea, but also a nearby natural gas terminal). If it is true that Russian soldiers have now fired upon Ukrainian soldiers, then the case for LOAC's application has gotten still stronger.
Robert (Bobby) Chesney is the Dean of the University of Texas School of Law, where he also holds the James A. Baker III Chair in the Rule of Law and World Affairs at UT. He is known internationally for his scholarship relating both to cybersecurity and national security. He is a co-founder of Lawfare, the nation’s leading online source for analysis of national security legal issues, and he co-hosts the popular show The National Security Law Podcast.
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