International law and the Soviet wild-goose chase
International law and the Soviet wild-goose chase

Summary/Abstract: The 75th anniversary of the end of the Second World War and the proclamation of the United Nations was a topic intensively exploited by Russian diplomacy which attempted to highlight the Soviet input into the triumph over the Nazis and the creation of an international organization. The Kremlin’s rhetoric was expressed directly by Vladimir Putin twice last year – once thanks to an article published in The National Interest in June and then, via a speech delivered virtually during the annual summit of the United Nations, in September. During both occasions Putin stressed the significance of the Soviet Union in creating and developing the post-1945 international order, fixed after the failure of the League of Nations (described by Putin as “a cautionary tale”). He noted the decisive role in sentencing war criminals and Russian allegiance to international law, of which the UN Charter appears to be the primary source.

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