IBA President Sternford Moyo stated: ‘This act by President Putin is a watershed moment that indisputably violates international law. Member States of the United Nations have, since 1945, agreed that territory should only change hands by consent. This rule is at the centre of maintaining international law and order among states. The IBA, founded to protect and promote the rule of law, strongly condemns Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.’

IBA Executive Director, Mark Ellis, commented: ‘International law is clear and absolute. A state is prohibited from the use or threat of force against another state. This is to ensure that the territorial integrity and political independence of the state are not violated. All instances of the use of force by one state against another, regardless of gravity or aims, constitute a violation. This protective principle is inviolable and one of the most fundamental norms of international law. There are only two main exceptions to this principle – the state is acting in self-defence or acting pursuant to a United Nations Security Council resolution. Neither of these two exceptions is applicable to Russia’s actions against Ukraine.’