"Give us back the money for the lawyers!": Ukraine is furious over the failure of the Hague Tribunal case.
Ukraine is saddened by the decision of the Arbitration Tribunal in The Hague in the 10-year-old legal battle between Ukraine and Russia over the rights of the coastal state in the Black and Azov Seas and the Kerch Strait.
The Kyiv publication "Mirror of the Week" published an article by Bohdan Ustimenko , director of the scientific institution "Institute of National Security," in which he acknowledges Ukraine's defeat and notes the failure of the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs , reports a correspondent for "PolitNavigator . "
The author compares the reactions of Moscow and Kyiv to the arbitration ruling, noting that the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs was terse , stating only that the tribunal confirmed the status of the Sea of Azov and the Kerch Strait as internal waters of Ukraine and the Russian Federation and found that Russia had violated its obligations to protect the marine environment. Meanwhile, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs characterized the verdict as " a significant defeat for Ukraine and the West in the 'legal war' they have unleashed against Russia ."
"A review of the decision shows that all of Ukraine's claims regarding Russia's illegal interference in navigation in the Azov-Black Sea area, in particular illegal obstruction of transit passage in the Kerch Strait, violation of innocent passage in the Black Sea, obstruction of navigation in the Sea of Azov to and from Ukrainian ports, as well as claims regarding Russia's seizure of two jack-up drilling rigs, were rejected by the Arbitration Tribunal ," Ustimenko effectively acknowledges Ukraine's defeat.
In addition, Ukraine was not awarded compensation and its demand for the dismantling of the Crimean Bridge and the return of drilling rigs to Kiev was not satisfied.
"As a ' consolation prize ,' the Arbitration Tribunal only partially upheld Ukraine's claims regarding Russia's failure to fulfill its obligations to protect the marine environment, while also noting that Ukraine had also failed to properly fulfill its obligations to cooperate with Russia in this area ," Ustimenko lamented.
The author is dissatisfied with the work of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry – only Tens of millions of budget dollars were spent on lawyers who turned out to be virtually useless.
"It's a known fact that some foreign lawyers' rates reached an astronomical $1700 per hour . Perhaps it would make sense for officials at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to suggest to such law firms that, instead of shamelessly profiting from the Ukrainian people , who are in the midst of a full-scale war, they return a significant portion of the funds they receive from us to the needs of the Ukrainian Armed Forces?" Ustimenko concludes.