Open Letter to international community in relation to the full-scale Russian aggression against Ukraine

04/ 03/ 2022

From the European Business Association, Union of Ukrainian Entrepreneurs, the Ukrainian Bar Association Dear Colleagues! Ukraine is now struggling with unprecedented and unprovoked aggression from the Russian Federation. On the early morning of 24 February, after a series of air and missile attacks, the Russian troops invaded Ukraine from the territory of Russia, Belarus, and the temporarily occupied parts of Ukraine’s Donetsk, Luhansk regions, and Crimea. Until now, these attacks continue, simultaneously from East, South, and North (including the territory of Belarus). The United Nations Charter, Helsinki Accords, European Convention on Human Rights, the Rome Statute, and in general all established norms and principles of international law are being openly violated. While Russia expected a blitzkrieg occupation of Ukraine, none of the aggressors key goals was achieved. The military defeats made the Russian troops begin shelling the Ukrainian cities with missile strikes and heavy artillery. Russian attacks have indiscriminate and precise character targeting civilians. The number of victims and injured civilians keeps growing, including children, many people have lost their homes. The atrocities committed by the Russian army made all the world shaken, the examples are provided below (also in Annex to this letter), the list is hardly exhaustive: the central square of 1.5 million City of Kharkiv was targeted with missiles; the city has been intensively and unprovokedly shelled; the maternity care hospital with women and children inside was shelled in Zhytomyr (population of 266,000); Chernihiv and Kherson have been bombed leaving dozens of innocent civilians killed and wounded; such towns as Schastya and Stanytsia Luhanska near Luhansk, or Volnovakha in the Donetsk region, are now nearly destroyed; Volnovakha and Mariupol in the Donetsk region are on verge of humanitarian catastrophe, kept in the blockade by Russian troops; even the Babiy Yar memorial commemorating over 33,000 Jews killed by the Nazis was bombed; Russians keep attacking kindergartens and orphanages which give rise to war crimes and violating the Rome Statute. Russian shellfire and the sabotage groups, working in Ukraines cities and towns, keep targeting hospitals and mobile medical aid brigades, emergency medical care providers. Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Electric Station (the biggest Nuclear station in Europe) was attacked and targeted with missiles, endangering the whole Europe, then seized. Moreover, the Russian Federation has put the world on the brink of a nuclear catastrophe. Russian military illegally seized the Chernobyl power plant and its military activities in the area have already resulted in increased radiation levels. Together with Chernobyl, Ukraine has 15 nuclear reactors in total. Russia’s indiscriminate bombing, shelling, and missile strikes greatly increased the risk of a strike on a nuclear reactor, even if unintentional. This is a major threat not only to Ukraine. This is a major threat to the World. Given these blatant violations against humanity as well as sovereignty and territorial integrity of a nation taking place in the very heart of Europe, we urge the legal, business, and international trade associations to strongly encourage and demand from the governments, opinion-makers, and fellow businesses in all jurisdictions to: withdraw all the ongoing negotiations with the Russian Federation and/or the Eurasian Economic Union on conclusion of free trade agreements; terminate the valid free trade agreements signed with the Russian Federation and/or the Eurasian Economic Union or at least suspend concessions under such agreements; suspend trade concessions to the Russian Federation under the WTO commitments, including import ban imposed on crucial Russian imports of steel products and commodities, gas and oil; promptly diversify supply chains in order to halt the trade in services with Russia, including suspension of customs clearance of the Russian products as well as prohibiting logistics companies from providing transportation and storing services (with regard to imports of the Russian Federation); suspend bilateral/multilateral investment treaties with Russia or suspend in another way any guarantees and benefits enjoyed by the Russian investors and investments in the host state jurisdictions; A major part of the world is stepping forward to support the Ukrainian people by imposing sanctions and providing various types of assistance to Ukraine. War crimes and crimes against humanity that continue in Ukraine without interruption must be stopped. We urge the international community to take quick and decisive actions. You can download the official letter here.

From the European Business Association, Union of Ukrainian Entrepreneurs, the Ukrainian Bar Association

Dear Colleagues!

Ukraine is now struggling with unprecedented and unprovoked aggression from the Russian Federation.

On the early morning of 24 February, after a series of air and missile attacks, the Russian troops invaded Ukraine from the territory of Russia, Belarus, and the temporarily occupied parts of Ukraine’s Donetsk, Luhansk regions, and Crimea. Until now, these attacks continue, simultaneously from East, South, and North (including the territory of Belarus).

The United Nations Charter, Helsinki Accords, European Convention on Human Rights, the Rome Statute, and in general all established norms and principles of international law are being openly violated.

While Russia expected a blitzkrieg occupation of Ukraine, none of the aggressor’s key goals was achieved.

The military defeats made the Russian troops begin shelling the Ukrainian cities with missile strikes and heavy artillery. Russian attacks have indiscriminate and precise character targeting civilians. The number of victims and injured civilians keeps growing, including children, many people have lost their homes.

The atrocities committed by the Russian army made all the world shaken, the examples are provided below (also in Annex to this letter), the list is hardly exhaustive:

the central square of 1.5 million City of Kharkiv was targeted with missiles; the city has been intensively and unprovokedly shelled;
the maternity care hospital with women and children inside was shelled in Zhytomyr (population of 266,000);
Chernihiv and Kherson have been bombed leaving dozens of innocent civilians killed and wounded;
such towns as Schastya and Stanytsia Luhanska near Luhansk, or Volnovakha in the Donetsk region, are now nearly destroyed;
Volnovakha and Mariupol in the Donetsk region are on verge of humanitarian catastrophe, kept in the blockade by Russian troops;
even the Babiy Yar memorial commemorating over 33,000 Jews killed by the Nazis was bombed;
Russians keep attacking kindergartens and orphanages which give rise to war crimes and violating the Rome Statute. Russian shellfire and the sabotage groups, working in Ukraine’s cities and towns, keep targeting hospitals and mobile medical aid brigades, emergency medical care providers.
Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Electric Station (the biggest Nuclear station in Europe) was attacked and targeted with missiles, endangering the whole Europe, then seized.

Moreover, the Russian Federation has put the world on the brink of a nuclear catastrophe. Russian military illegally seized the Chernobyl power plant and its military activities in the area have already resulted in increased radiation levels. Together with Chernobyl, Ukraine has 15 nuclear reactors in total. Russia’s indiscriminate bombing, shelling, and missile strikes greatly increased the risk of a strike on a nuclear reactor, even if unintentional.

This is a major threat not only to Ukraine. This is a major threat to the World.

Given these blatant violations against humanity as well as sovereignty and territorial integrity of a nation taking place in the very heart of Europe, we urge the legal, business, and international trade associations to strongly encourage and demand from the governments, opinion-makers, and fellow businesses in all jurisdictions to:

withdraw all the ongoing negotiations with the Russian Federation and/or the Eurasian Economic Union on conclusion of free trade agreements;
terminate the valid free trade agreements signed with the Russian Federation and/or the Eurasian Economic Union or at least suspend concessions under such agreements;
suspend trade concessions to the Russian Federation under the WTO commitments, including import ban imposed on crucial Russian imports of steel products and commodities, gas and oil;
promptly diversify supply chains in order to halt the trade in services with Russia, including suspension of customs clearance of the Russian products as well as prohibiting logistics companies from providing transportation and storing services (with regard to imports of the Russian Federation);
suspend bilateral/multilateral investment treaties with Russia or suspend in another way any guarantees and benefits enjoyed by the Russian investors and investments in the host state jurisdictions;

A major part of the world is stepping forward to support the Ukrainian people by imposing sanctions and providing various types of assistance to Ukraine. War crimes and crimes against humanity that continue in Ukraine without interruption must be stopped. We urge the international community to take quick and decisive actions.

You can download the official letter here.