Putin’s Russia and its uses of international law

Russia has been riding roughshod over international law since the annexation of Crimea in 2014. This was followed by its interventions in eastern Ukraine and Syria along with the recent judgment of the Russian Constitutional Court which emphasizes the priority of the Russian constitution over the European Convention on Human Rights. But what is the thinking that lies behind these actions? In what way is the Russian understanding and uses of international law similar to or different from the Western tradition? And how is international law used in political and economic relations between Russia and the West?

Lauri Mälksoo (@LauriMalksoo) is professor of international law at the University of Tartu and director of the Estonian Foreign Policy Institute. He has done extensive research on the history, theory, and recent state practice of international law in Russia, and is the author of Russian Approaches to International Law. He is member of the board of the European Society of International Law and associate member of the Institut de droit international.

Kadri Liik (@kadriliik) is Senior Policy Fellow at ECFR specialising in Russian domestic and foreign policy and relations with the West. Her most recent commentary has been on What can we expect from Russia in Syria and How to talk with Russia.