On November 7, as part of the "Ukrainian Days" jointly organized by the Embassy of Ukraine in the Republic of Lithuania and Mykolas Romeris University, an international scientific and practical conference titled "Law and Russia’s War Against Ukraine" took place.
The event brought together scholars, postgraduate students, and students from Ukraine and Lithuania and was attended by a parliamentary delegation consisting of Ukrainian Members of Parliament Yuliia Ovchynnikova, Oleksandr Kopylenko, Viktoriia Vagner, and Valeriia Bozhyk, along with Ukraine’s Ambassador to Lithuania, Petro Beshta.
In his opening address at the conference, Ambassador Beshta emphasized the ongoing gross violations of international humanitarian law and fundamental human rights and freedoms, the genocide of the Ukrainian population, including children, and the ecocide perpetrated by the aggressor state, its leadership, its occupation authorities, and the occupation administrations it controls.
Ambassador Beshta expressed gratitude to Lithuania for its comprehensive support and assistance to Ukraine, not only in ensuring the international legal responsibility of Russia as a state but also in holding its leadership accountable for initiating the war against Ukraine. He also highlighted Lithuania’s effective cooperation in developing a comprehensive Compensation Mechanism to address the damages caused by Russia's armed aggression, financed by the aggressor's assets. This effort is one of the priorities of Point 7 of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s Peace Formula.
A key focus of the Ambassador’s speech was the need to continue supporting Ukraine and its people, especially children and youth affected by Russian aggression and the full-scale invasion. He emphasized the urgency of holding Russia and its leadership accountable for the killing and forced deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia. This issue is central to Point 4 of President Zelenskyy’s Peace Formula.
“To ensure the return of every child illegally taken from Ukraine to their families and homeland, President Zelenskyy initiated the International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children – Bring Kids Back UA. We will not stop our fight for justice and the return of all illegally displaced persons, including children,” Ambassador Beshta stated.
The conference, held as part of Lithuania's 30th anniversary of membership in the Council of Europe and its presidency of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, also addressed political and legal issues surrounding the creation of a Special Tribunal to investigate the crime of aggression, ecological and nuclear safety threats arising from Russia’s actions in Ukraine, and the protection of human rights, including the provision of medical assistance and services during martial law in Ukraine.
This conference marked the first event within the Lawyers4Ukraine initiative, aimed at supporting children affected by the war.