Hearings Begin in The Hague on Russia's Violation of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea

The Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague has begun hearings on the merits of Ukraine's 2016 claim, accusing Russia of violating the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea in the Azov and Black Seas and the Kerch Strait.  

The hearings will address the merits of the case, as well as the remaining issues of jurisdiction and admissibility.  

The hearings began on Monday, 23 September 2024 at 10:00 a.m. local time. 

According to the agreement, Ukraine will be the first to speak in court. The Russian Federation will be the second to speak.

Until the end of the hearing, public access will be closed in any form. Subsequently, open information will be published on the Court's website.

However, the opening and closing statements of the parties will be public. 

Ukraine will deliver its public closing statement on Thursday, 3 October 2024, at 17:40 (CEST); the statement is expected to conclude by 18:00 (CEST).

The public parts of the hearing will also be broadcast live.

On 14 September 2016, Ukraine initiated separate proceedings against Russia for its violation of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and seeks to confirm Ukraine's rights in the Black and Azov Seas and the Kerch Strait through arbitration.

In May 2024, the Russian Ministry of Defence published a draft decision of the Russian government that was supposed to ‘unilaterally’ change Russia's maritime borders with Lithuania and Finland. The issue was subsequently hushed up, but not removed from the media agenda. 

Taking into account the provisions of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, the Russian Federation and Lithuania signed an agreement on the delimitation of the exclusive economic zone and shelf on 24 October 1997. According to the UN, the USSR, not Russia, is a party to maritime delimitation agreements with the DPRK, Finland, Poland, Sweden, Turkey and the United States.