Legal Analysis of Military Invasion as a Violation of State Sovereignty: A Case Study of the Russia-Ukraine Conflict

Authors

  • Made Prayudi Vigraha Ardana Universitas Pendidikan Ganesha, Indonesia
  • Dewa Gede Sudika Mangku Universitas Internasional Batam
  • Ni Putu Rai Yuliartini Universitas Pendidikan Ganesha, Indonesia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.37253/conescintech.v6i1.12724

Keywords:

Military Invasion, State Sovereignty, International Law, UN Charter, Russia-Ukraine

Abstract

The full-scale military invasion launched by the Russian Federation into Ukraine's sovereign territory since February 2022 has triggered a global security crisis and shaken the international legal order. This study aims to analyze the legality of Russia's military invasion of Ukraine from an international legal perspective, as well as to identify the legal consequences and effectiveness of law enforcement by international organizations in addressing this violation of sovereignty. The research method used is normative juridical, with a statute approach and a case approach. Data sources were obtained through a literature review of primary, secondary, and tertiary legal materials. The results show that Russia's military invasion constitutes a clear violation of the principles of state sovereignty, territorial integrity, and non-intervention as stipulated in Article 2 paragraph (4) of the United Nations Charter. The justifications put forward by Russia, such as the right to self-defense under Article 51 of the UN Charter and humanitarian intervention, do not meet the requirements of legitimate international law. On the other hand, the UN Security Council's law enforcement mechanism has been paralyzed by Russia's use of its veto power. This study concludes that UN institutional reform regarding the veto power in cases of aggression is necessary, as well as optimizing the role of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and the International Criminal Court (ICC) in adjudicating crimes of aggression to restore violated state sovereignty.

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Published

2026-09-22