The leadership of Russia’s maritime lawyers have come out against the Ukraine war in a move drawing praise from peers in other parts of Europe.

“[The] Russian Maritime Law Association (RUMLA) opposes all military actions,” the group said in a post on its website on 2 March.

“We believe that there is no legal or political justification that would allow troops to enter the territory of another state,” RUMLA added.

“We cannot and will not support or justify human suffering,” the association said, describing the invasion as “contrary to the interests” of Russia, Ukraine and humanity as a whole.

“We express our condolences to all those who are now going through suffering and loss, pain and sorrow as a result of the war,” it added.

Silent majority

The statement has caused ruckus within RUMLA, with at least six of its 77 members deciding to quit, its president Konstantin Krasnokutskiy, who backed and published the statement, told TradeWinds.

Quitting members are said to include lecturers of maritime law at state universities, a former judge and a current maritime lawyer at Russian shipping giant Sovcomflot.

“I’ve also received some emails from members supporting the war, while others said they wanted to remain neutral,” Krasnokutskiy said.

Several members, however, expressed their support for the statement, or made just minor amendments to a draft Krasnokutskiy circulated earlier.

“The majority remained silent,” said Krasnokutskiy, who is currently in Italy and has no plans to return to Russia immediately.

Apart from personal concerns following the RUMLA statement, Krasnokutskiy said he was concerned about martial law being potentially installed, as well as forced conscription and restrictions to liberty of travel.

To Krasnokutskiy’s knowledge, RUMLA has suffered no consequences at home as a result of the protest letter so far. The association’s website is still up and running, even though this is most probably due to its server being based abroad.

A founder and managing partner of Navicus Law, a law firm based in St Petersburg, Krasnokutskiy revived RUMLA.

Refounded in 2018, the association rejoined the global brotherhood of maritime lawyers in October last year.

Four years earlier, RUMLA’s Soviet-founded predecessor was expelled from the Comite Maritime International — the oldest maritime law organisation — over unpaid membership fees.

Italian peers hailed RUMLA’s statement on the Ukraine war.

Giorgio Berlingieri, head of the Italian Maritime Law Association, sent a congratulatory letter to Krasnokutskiy, wishing to express his members’ admiration for RUMLA’s “right and brave position”.

“The noble and deep feelings expressed therein are fully agreed and supported,” Berlingieri wrote.