Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky is expected to sign a long-awaited decree, severing (or breaking, in simple terms) diplomatic relations with the Russian Federation.

To find out what the process looks like and what it leads to, read European Pravda editor Sergiy Sydorenko’s article in Ukrainian War Without Embassy: What It Means and How It Will Affect Ukraine-Russia Relations.

As per Article 2 of the Vienna Convention of Consular Relations, severing diplomatic relations between states does not necessarily mean the automatic discard of consular services. Ukraine has five consulates in Russia, including Moscow, Rostov-on-Don, Saint Petersburg, Novosibirsk, and Ekaterinburg. They deal with Kremlin’s political prisoners as well as all citizens that require basic services such as passport issuance.

The consulate in Rostov-on-Don is especially important since it is close to occupied Crimea and oversees matters relating to political trials, many of which take place in this part of Russia. Also, some of the Crimeans whom the Russian border guards do not let inside the territory controlled by Ukraine end up there. Accordingly, it is an important institution that must remain fully functional in order for consuls to help Ukrainian citizens.

While Russia has the right to shut down any consular service as well as cut off consular ties with Kyiv at any time (regardless of whether the two countries have diplomatic ties), it does not do so. Why? Simply because in international relations reciprocity is key. If Russia shuts down a Ukrainian consulate, Kyiv will have to respond by shutting down one of its counterparts in Lviv, Odesa, or Kharkiv. Russia does not want that. It needs these consulates to protect its citizens who ended up in a precarious situation. It also uses them to safely transport individuals such as representatives of security services and carry out espionage.

All in all, if and when Ukraine decides to severe diplomatic relations with Russia, there will be three consequences:

1) Neither Ukraine nor Russia’s Embassy will continue to work the way they do today. The Embassies, however, could be reorganized with the involvement of a third party. Switzerland, for example, in now helping Russia and Georgia do so.

2) The Ambassador and other diplomats who provide non-consular services will be sent home. This would have little impact on Ukraine as we have not had an Ambassador in Moscow since 2014. The staff has been likewise reduced, effectively providing consular and technical services only.

3) The official visits of Ukrainian officials to Russia and vice versa, as well as official bilateral negotiations, would be rendered impossible (other negotiations are still possible).

To sum up, if Ukraine cuts off its diplomatic relations with Russia, it will somewhat obstruct the cooperation. Yet, taking into account the current state of relations with the aggressor state, these changes will not be radical. In fact, they are very much needed.

Find out more in our video or read our article War Without Embassy: What It Means and How Will the Cut Off Affect Ukraine-Russia Relations.