The resolution passed on Monday was supported by 94 of the 193 members of the assembly. It said Russia, which invaded its neighbor in February, “must bear the legal consequences of all its internationally illegal acts, including reparation for the injury, including any damage, caused by such acts.” Fourteen countries voted against the resolution, including Russia, China and Iran, while 73 abstained, including Brazil, India and South Africa. Not all member states voted. It was the lowest level of support of the five Ukraine-related resolutions passed by the General Assembly since Russia’s February 24 invasion. The resolution recognizes the need to create “an international mechanism for redress for damage, loss or injury”. It recommends that member states of the assembly, in cooperation with Ukraine, establish “an international registry” to document claims and information about damage, loss or injury to Ukrainians and the government caused by Russia. The resolution followed Russia’s withdrawal from the city of Kherson after months of occupation. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy traveled to the southeastern city on Monday and accused Russian forces of war crimes across the region. A UN commission of inquiry said in late September that it had found a series of Russian war crimes in Ukraine, including sexual and gender-related acts of violence by some Russian soldiers. Russia’s veto power in the 15-member Security Council has prevented the most powerful UN body from taking any action since President Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion. But there are no vetoes in the General Assembly, which previously passed four resolutions criticizing the Russian invasion. Kristen Saloomey, Al Jazeera’s UN correspondent, said Russia had argued that the Security Council, not the General Assembly, was the place to make these decisions while accusing the West of double standards. “Western countries have never considered reparations as a way of atonement for their own sins,” said Vasily Nebenzia, Russia’s ambassador to the UN. He said the provisions of the resolution were “legally void” as he urged countries to vote against it. “The West is trying to distract and exacerbate the conflict and plans to use Russian money for it,” Nebenzia said. Ukraine’s ambassador to the UN, Sergiy Kyslytsya, said before the vote that, “Russia prefers impunity to accountability and when it comes to the process in the Security Council, it knows only two things, lies and a veto.” He said Russia has targeted everything from factories to residential buildings and hospitals in Ukraine. “Ukraine will have the daunting task of rebuilding the country and recovering from this war, but this recovery will never be complete without a sense of justice for the victims of the Russian war,” Kyslytsya said. “It’s time to hold Russia accountable.” Unlike Security Council resolutions, General Assembly resolutions are not legally binding, but reflect global opinion and have shown widespread opposition to Russia’s military action. “A broad international effort will be needed to support Ukraine’s recovery and reconstruction in order to build a secure and prosperous future for the Ukrainian people,” Britain’s UN ambassador Barbara Woodward told the assembly. “But only one country, Russia, is responsible for the damage in Ukraine, and it is absolutely right, as this resolution states, that Russia should pay for that damage.”
