![]() ![]() The facts briefly analysed below demonstrate that an investigation is required into the war crime of intentionally using starvation as a method of warfare in an international armed conflict under Article 8(2)(b)(xxvi) of the Rome Statute. On the face of it, Russia’s conduct in Ukraine raises allegations of the use of starvation as a method of warfare as prohibited by Additional Protocol (AP) I, Article 54(1) Customary IHL, Rule 53. The population of a once food-secure country and major grain exporter has, thus, been forced to relive the horrors of its past: Holodomor, World War II and ensuing hunger.Įxternally, the Russian blockade of grain export exacerbates the existing food emergency and risks tipping “tens of millions of people over the edge into food insecurity, followed by malnutrition, mass hunger and famine, in a crisis that could last for years.” In Ukraine, while the number of starvation-related casualties is yet to be established, about 10.2 million residents urgently need food and livelihood assistance. The immediate consequences of Russia’s conduct are both internal and external. promises to unblock ports and allow grain export from Ukraine in exchange for lifting sanctions imposed on Russia, which would inevitably feed its war machine. While destruction, damage or pillage of agricultural facilities are directly linked to possible war crimes, other tactics are disguised, e.g. The significant number of such incidents has led some to question whether this is part of a deliberate policy by Russia to coerce and starve the population of Ukraine into submission. Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine is associated with a range of starvation-related tactics, such as sieges, obstruction of humanitarian access, pillaging of agricultural machinery and shelling of OIS. ![]() This involves impeding the capacity of targeted civilians to access the means of sustaining life. ![]() Before diving into the discussion, it is necessary to outline the term “ starvation crimes”, which we define as the intentional deprivation of objects indispensable to the survival of civilians (OIS) intended to cause starvation. ![]()
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