Addressing the 10th Moscow Conference on International Security on August 16, Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed that his war on Ukraine does not violate the U.N. Charter and was launched to protect the residents of Ukraine’s Donbas region from “genocide.”

“We have taken the decision to conduct a special military operation in Ukraine, a decision which is in full conformity with the Charter of the United Nations. It has been clearly spelled out that the aims of this operation are to ensure the security of Russia and its citizens and protect the residents of Donbas from genocide," he said.

That statement is false.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine violated not only the U.N. Charter, but also international law and even Russian law. Moreover, under international criminal law, the invasion is viewed as a crime of aggression.

The United Nations Charter

Article 2(4) of the U.N. Charter prohibits the use of force against the territorial integrity of another state: “All Members shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state, or in any other manner inconsistent with the Purposes of the United Nations.”

Russia has used military force against Ukraine and violated its territorial integrity by wholly or partially occupying six of its regions.

On February 24, the day Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said that Russia had...

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