Stop Russia’s War Against Ukraine and Restore the UN’s Capacity to Protect Peace

Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine has continued for a fifth year. Its intensity is only increasing.

According to the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission, in the first 6 months of 2026 alone, at least 1,396 civilians were killed and 7,978 were injured in Ukraine. The number of civilian casualties was 37% higher than during the same period in 2025 and twice as high as in 2024. The overwhelming majority of confirmed casualties occurred in territory controlled by the Government of Ukraine. Many experts are inclined to conclude that the actions of Russian forces bear signs of genocide. The President of Russia openly states that he does not recognize the existence of the Ukrainian nation. Individual representatives of the Russian authorities publicly threaten nuclear war.

Since 2014, the UN General Assembly has repeatedly reaffirmed the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders and condemned Russia’s violation of the fundamental principles of the UN Charter.

On 24 February 2026, the General Assembly adopted resolution A/RES/ES-11/10. It once again reaffirmed the territorial integrity of Ukraine, expressed serious concern over the intensification of Russian attacks against the civilian population, civilian objects and critical energy infrastructure, and called for an immediate, full and unconditional ceasefire between the Russian Federation and Ukraine. The resolution was supported by 107 States, with 12 voting against and 51 abstaining. That is, a majority of the 193 members of the General Assembly.

However, the decisions adopted remain without an effective enforcement mechanism. The UN Security Council is unable to fulfil the responsibility entrusted to it when a State that is a permanent member of the Council is simultaneously a party to the war and can block decisions through its veto.

This situation undermines the entire system of collective security and creates a dangerous precedent: a State possessing the right of veto is able to use force against another State while simultaneously obstructing measures aimed at ending the aggression and protecting its victims.

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In connection with the opening of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly in September 2026, we call on the Member States to take the following actions.

1. Achieve an immediate ceasefire, including an end to the shelling of territories

Reaffirm the demand for an immediate, full and unconditional ceasefire and call on the parties to agree, under international supervision, on the procedures for its implementation.

A ceasefire and a temporary line of actual control must not imply recognition of any change to international borders.

2. Ensure implementation of the UN’s humanitarian requirements

Demand:

• a full exchange of prisoners of war;
• the release of all unlawfully detained civilians;
• the return of interned, forcibly displaced and deported persons, including children;
• safe and unhindered humanitarian access;
• compliance with international humanitarian law by all parties.

These requirements are already enshrined in resolution A/RES/ES-11/10 and must be accompanied by specific deadlines and a monitoring mechanism.

3. Establish a mechanism to monitor implementation of the resolutions

Resume the 11th Emergency Special Session of the General Assembly, “Uniting for Peace”, and instruct the UN Secretary-General to submit regular reports to Member States on:

• compliance with the ceasefire;
• civilian casualties;
• attacks on civilian objects and energy infrastructure;
• the situation of prisoners of war and unlawfully detained persons;
• the return of deported children;
• humanitarian access;
• the progress of international negotiations.

The report should be considered by the General Assembly at established intervals until a lasting peaceful settlement is achieved.

If the 11th Emergency Special Session is not resumed, strengthen accountability for every use of the veto by applying General Assembly resolution 76/262, which provides for the convening of a meeting of the Assembly within 10 working days after a veto is cast in the Security Council. This mechanism should be used not as a formality, but as an instrument of political accountability.

A State that has used the veto should publicly explain:

• how its actions are consistent with the UN Charter;
• why the blocked decision could not be adopted;
• what alternative measures it proposes to protect the civilian population and restore peace.

4. Restrict the use of the veto in situations involving mass atrocities

We call on all States to support the French-Mexican initiative, launched in 2015, on the voluntary restraint by permanent members of the Security Council from using the veto in situations of genocide, large-scale war crimes and crimes against humanity.

By July 2026, this initiative had been supported by 118 States. It does not require an amendment to the UN Charter and constitutes a voluntary political commitment by the permanent members of the Security Council.

We call for:

— France and Mexico to submit this initiative as a draft political resolution to the 81st session of the General Assembly, which would:

• call on additional States to join the initiative;
• endorse the principle of refraining from the use of the veto in cases of mass atrocities;
• require permanent members of the Security Council to state publicly whether they are prepared to undertake such a commitment;
• provide for an annual report on the use and threatened use of the veto in such situations.

— Mechanisms to be identified for implementing restraint from the use of the veto, based on the assessment of the UN Secretary-General and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights regarding Russia’s actions in Ukraine, characterized as war crimes.

5. Ensure application of Article 27 of the UN Charter

Article 27, paragraph 3, of the Charter provides that, when the Security Council adopts decisions concerning the peaceful settlement of disputes, a State that is a party to a dispute shall abstain from voting. Unfortunately, this provision of the Charter has so far not made it possible to compel a member of the Security Council to refrain from exercising the right of veto.

We call on the members of the Security Council to seek the consistent application of this provision to all States without exception. No permanent member of the Council should simultaneously participate in an armed conflict and use its privileged vote to block a peaceful settlement of that conflict.

6. Prepare an international mechanism for monitoring the ceasefire

Once a ceasefire has been agreed, an international monitoring or peacekeeping mission must be established with clearly defined:

• legal basis;
• mandate;
• composition;
• command structure;
• rules on the use of force;
• procedures for access to the line of contact;
• security guarantees;
• mechanisms for investigating violations.

The deployment of such a mission must not imply recognition of the occupation or transform a temporary line of control into an international border.

Appeal to Civil Society

We call on human rights, humanitarian, anti-war, religious, professional and civil society organizations in different countries to join forces ahead of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly.

It is necessary to:

• send appeals to governments and permanent missions of States to the UN;
• seek a public response from each State to the proposed demands;
• hold international conferences and meetings with diplomats;
• organize peaceful public actions in New York and other cities;
• call on the General Assembly to give the floor to victims of the war, prisoners of war, deported children, human rights defenders and Russian anti-war activists;
• conduct open monitoring of the positions and votes of States.

Our campaign is not directed against the Russian people. Millions of Russian citizens did not make the decision to start the war, and many openly opposed it, faced repression and imprisonment, or were forced to leave the country.

We oppose the unpunished use of force, the rule of the strongest and the transformation of the Security Council into an instrument for protecting a State that violates the UN Charter.

We call on the Member States of the United Nations to demonstrate that international law applies to everyone, regardless of military power, political influence or possession of the right of veto.

Link to the form for signing the appeal

Association “Andrei Sakharov Institute”, Paris
https://www.sakharov.fr
un2reload@gmail.com

We also ask you to forward this appeal to those whom you consider important for providing urgent support to this campaign.

You may write to us about what you believe should be added to this appeal, as well as which of the actions proposed in the section “Appeal to Civil Society” you are prepared to undertake.