On Thursday, February 24, Russia invaded Ukraine, violating international principles of state sovereignty as well as the territorial integrity of the Ukrainian state. As Russia’s actions in Ukraine continue, Canada, and the rest of the world, remain concerned about Russia’s pattern of behavior which undermines the basic rules of international order and which continues to defy  generally accepted principles of human rights. As a result, Canada has imposed sanctions on Russia by invoking the Special Economic Measures Act, in an effort to discourage further transgressions on Ukrainian soil.

Russian aggression in Ukraine has been described as having sweeping consequences within Ukraine itself, but also, more broadly, in tarnishing and destabilizing the international system. Countries are responding in many ways to condemn the actions of the Russian Government, and its flagrant disregard for principles of international peace and security, as well as its disregard for principles of state sovereignty, and the territorial integrity of nations. As Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken notes: 

Russia has repeatedly turned away from agreements that have kept the peace across the continent for decades.  And it continues to take aim at NATO, a defensive, voluntary alliance that protects nearly a billion people across Europe and North America, and at the governing principles of international peace and security that we all have a stake in defending… Those principles, established in the wake of two world wars and a cold war, reject the right of one country to change the borders of another by force; to dictate to another the policies it pursues or the choices it makes, including with whom to associate; or to exert a sphere of influence that would subjugate sovereign neighbors to its will.

World leaders are concerned that if this Russian aggression is not challenged and stopped, the principles of peace and diplomacy in the international system will not only be undermined, but aggression and war will result, and seventy-five years of European, and perhaps global, peace will come to an end.  

The situation is complicated by the alliance of European and North American nations, or NATO, which was formed after World War II, with the express purpose of guaranteeing that member countries would be safe from aggression by other nations, particularly the Soviet Union.  That Union was dissolved some years ago, and conquered states restored to their former democratically elected regimes. The nation of Russia evolved from this separation of states, and lost its hegemony in the area. It is the restoration of the former Soviet Union, and Putin’s likely pursuit of empire and hegemony, which the west, and particularly NATO countries, seek to prevent.   

The Russian Federation, established in 1994, remains powerful, but has been divested of the many nations which were subsumed by the Soviet Union. The fear is that Putin’s ambition is to restore the former Soviet Union. United States Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken understands this danger:

To allow Russia to violate those principles with impunity would drag us all back to a much more dangerous and unstable time…It would also send a message to others around the world that these principles are expendable, and that, too, would have catastrophic results…That’s why the United States and our allies and partners in Europe have been so focused on what’s happening in Ukraine.  It’s bigger than a conflict between two countries. It’s bigger than Russia and NATO. It’s a crisis with global consequences, and it requires global attention and action.

Diplomatic measures are important tools used to respond to countries which demonstrate aggression, or aggressive tendencies. As the Government of Canada’s website notes, “[t]he imposition of sanctions against foreign states and non-state actors is a key tool for the international community to support peace and security and enforce international norms and laws.” Sanctions therefore serve to respond to foreign political circumstances, and are inherently political messages which signal a state’s condemnation of another's actions. 

Canada, amongst other things, has imposed a series of sanctions on Russia through the Special Economic Measures Act, in response to this unfounded Russian aggression. The sanctions imposed under the Special Economic Measures Act include export prohibitions, sanctions on individuals closely associated with the Russian regime, as well as sanctions imposed on Russian financial institutions, and corporations. As the Prime Minister of Canada’s website notes:

Russia’s actions are being met with severe consequences. Earlier this week, Canada unequivocally condemned Russia’s decision to recognize the independence of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions in Ukraine and in response announced it will: Impose new sanctions against Russia, including new prohibitions on direct and indirect dealings in Russian sovereign debt; Send additional military contributions to support the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) through Operation REASSURANCE, including up to an additional 460 personnel to the approximately 800 currently deployed in Europe in support of NATO; and Authorize approximately 3,400 Canadian Armed Forces personnel across all branches of the service to deploy to the NATO Response Force should they be required by NATO.

Many wonder whether or not these actions are sufficient, and if not, what else Canada and the rest of the world could do to more adequately respond to Russian aggression. Some security experts note that “Canada can and should be more engaged in de-escalation efforts at the Ukraine border where Russia is amassing troops but must focus on its diplomatic strengths…” like “beating the bushes with our allies arguing, maybe send some more troops on a rotational basis, make sure sanctions that are now in place are fully respected, [or] argue for bigger sanctions.” Importantly, the efficacy of Canadian-Russian sanctions also depends on the sanctions imposed on Russia by other countries. 

To summarize, Canada, and other countries within the global hegemony, must continue to impose sanctions, and other diplomatic prohibitions on Russia in order to demonstrate support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, and to stop Russian aggression in acting against many other Warsaw Pact nations. Moreover, countries should be committed to bolstering their commitments to aiding Ukraine (financially, militarily etc..) in order to uphold the principles of Ukrainian sovereignty and that of many former members of the former Soviet Union, to solidify the principles of international peace and security. If this is not done, tyranny and unimaginable cruelty may very well arise.