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Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova's comment on US and UK illegal actions in the Red Sea

23 January 2024 18:46
87-23-01-2024

The actions taken by the United States, United Kingdom and the so-called coalition in the Red Sea are a crude violation of international law. Speaking at the January 12 session of the UN Security Council, Russian Permanent Representative to the UN Vasily Nebenzya described in detail what these violations were all about. In addition, on January 22, the UN Security Council disseminated the official document of the Russian Federation with comments on the US and UK's failed attempts to justify armed strikes at Yemen's territory.

These Anglo-Saxon actions are illegal for the following reason. Under the UN Charter, the use of force on the territory of a sovereign state (Yemen in this case) may be recognised as legal only if it is done (in the exercise of this right of self-defence) in response to the armed aggression against a sovereign state or if the use of force was sanctioned by the UN Security Council. There is no legal basis to support the US or UK's declared right to self-defence in the Red Sea. The goals (protection against attacks on civilian vessels and the need to ensure freedom of navigation) initially announced in the statement by President Joseph Biden on the day of the missile strike at Yemeni territory and the Defence Secretary's statement on December 18, 2023 do not give them the right to self-defence within the definition of Article 51 of the UN Charter.

Characteristically, the emphasis on threats to warships began to be backdated after the strikes at Yemeni territory began. It is still unclear whether these threats existed at all. Moreover, the Anglo-Saxons did not mention any victims or damage to their warships.

There are no UN Security Council resolutions giving anyone a mandate to use force in connection with the events in the Red Sea. Recent UN Security Council Resolution 2722 is no exception. On the contrary, it urges all states to act in line with international law and, importantly, to display caution and restrained for fear of aggravating the situation in the Red Sea and the region in general.

The UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, to which the Anglo-Saxons are referring, does not regulate the right to use force or other military actions in this context at all.

To sum up, these US and UK actions violate Article 2 of the UN Charter, which obliges UN members to refrain from the use of force against the territorial inviolability of any state. Their actions are motivated by narrow, selfish interests and cannot be justified either by the standards of the international law of the sea or the right to self-defence under Article 51 of the UN Charter. Moreover, these actions are fraught with the risk of escalating and spreading the situation in the Gaza Strip to the rest of the region. Current developments in the Red Sea vividly bear this out.

Shameless manipulations with standards of international law with a view to justifying any arbitrary action have long become routine for Washington and London. However, no manipulation can legitimise their actions. The Anglo-Saxons have long developed a habit of violating the UN Charter and the fundamental standards of international law, including the principle of the non-use of force. This is their way of life.