Hearings on merits of Russia's violation of UN Sea Convention begin in The Hague

The Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in The Hague is starting hearings on the merits of Ukraine's 2016 lawsuit accusing Russia of violating the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea in the Azov Sea and the Kerch Strait.

As reported by the PCA, Ukraine's opening statement will be delivered at 10:20 on Monday, 23 September 2024.

The Russian Federation will deliver its opening statement at 10:40 on Monday, 23 September 2024.

Ukraine will deliver its public closing statement at 17:40 on Thursday, 3 October 2024, and the Russian Federation will deliver its public closing statement at 17:40 on Saturday, 5 October 2024.

Ukraine initiated arbitration proceedings against Russia in September 2016 "to protect its rights as a coastal state in the waters adjacent to Crimea in the Black Sea, the Sea of Azov and the Kerch Strait".

In August 2018, the court in The Hague decided to consider Russia's objections, postponing the consideration of the merits. 

Russia's main objection was that Ukraine's claims did not actually relate to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, but were an attempt to obtain a decision confirming Ukraine's sovereignty over the Crimean peninsula.

In February 2020, the arbitral tribunal in The Hague confirmed its jurisdiction to hear Ukraine's claim, but only in relation to the Sea of Azov and the Kerch Strait and the theft of Ukraine’s natural resources.