Recently, the Russian Duma passed and President Vladimir Putin signed a law withdrawing Moscow’s 1949 signature on the Geneva Convention concerning the defense of the civilian population during international armed conflicts, a convention the United Nations has accused Russia of violating on Ukrainian territory by changing the ethnic mix in Crimea. (The Geneva Conventions comprise four treaties and three additional protocols.)
Russia’s withdrawal from this convention means that the United Nations cannot formally condemn Moscow for the violation of the rights of civilians during war by acting on the accusations the U.N. has made.