United Nations Third Committee: Australian statement at the Interactive Dialogue with the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine
Statement by Harry Aitken, Counsellor and Legal Adviser, Australian Mission to the United Nations
26 October 2026
Thank you Chair.
Australia thanks the Commission of Inquiry for its update.
Russia’s unjustified and unprovoked full-scale invasion of Ukraine continues to cause horrific suffering and loss of life – and demonstrates Russia’s utter contempt for international law, including the UN Charter.
Australia remains deeply concerned by the human rights violations outlined in this report, including the use of torture, sexual violence, arbitrary detention, enforced disappearances and summary executions.
We deplore Russia’s mistreatment of children in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, evidenced by the transfers and deportations of unaccompanied children and the distortion of education to include ideological and military-patriotic training.
And we are disturbed by credible reports of systematic repression in the temporarily occupied Crimea, including forced conscription, suppression of ethnic and religious identity, political persecution, and the silencing of independent media.
Chair, we must hold Russia to account for its blatant violations of international law. A
ustralia stands with the Ukrainian people and calls on Russia to immediately and unconditionally withdraw from Ukraine’s internationally recognised borders, including Crimea.
We ask: what more can we, the international community, do to end Russia’s aggression and ensure accountability for its human rights violations in Ukraine?