There and back again : Russia's evolving approach to the freedom of navigation
A State's position on international law is “determined by the basic principles of its foreign policy.” Soviet international law scholar Gregorii Tunkin’s statement seems as valid as ever today. Russia’s aggression against Ukraine since 2014, the horrors of Bucha and Russia’s increasingly questi...
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| Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
| Language: | English |
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2024
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| Online Access: | https://biblio.ugent.be/publication/01HRRY6PZNFTBDH39AAF34KZQ8 http://hdl.handle.net/1854/LU-01HRRY6PZNFTBDH39AAF34KZQ8 https://biblio.ugent.be/publication/01HRRY6PZNFTBDH39AAF34KZQ8/file/01HRRYJGR40RYJVCRJYMYRSBE8 |
| Summary: | A State's position on international law is “determined by the basic principles of its foreign policy.” Soviet international law scholar Gregorii Tunkin’s statement seems as valid as ever today. Russia’s aggression against Ukraine since 2014, the horrors of Bucha and Russia’s increasingly questionable statements leave little room for imagination that it is a nation that cares little for international law as Western nations see it. While Russia’s approach to international law has received increasing attention in recent years, not all fields of international law have been explored in equal depth. This article intends to put the spotlight on Russia’s evolving approach to one of the bedrock principles of the international law of the sea, the freedom of navigation and its corollary, the right of innocent passage, specifically for warships and government vessels. It will become clear that, rather than following in its footsteps, Russia is in many ways backtracking on the more liberal views developed by the Soviet-Union in its final years and is en route to embracing some modern form of closed seas doctrine. |
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