united-nations-charter war
Would Ukraine have legal grounds to declare war on Belarus as well?
<p>Given the vulnerability in the Russian command and control system right now, some people are thinking that Ukraine should depose Lukashenko as well.</p>
<p>Regardless of whether this would be a good idea or not, would Ukraine have a legal right to do this? I am pretty sure they would given the armed attacks from Belarussian territory and which is being directly aided by the Belarussian military, Article 51 of the UN Charter would protect self defense.</p>

<p>I think Ukraine's legal grounds to run a <em>special military operation</em> to depose Lukashenko would have the same validity (if any) as Russia's grounds to do the same to depose Zelenskyy.</p>
<p>I'm not aware of &quot;turnabout is fair play&quot; being codified anywhere in this international rule of law that is the basis for the West's support of Ukraine.</p>
<p>So such an action would then create an intractable moral problem which would hinder ongoing support of Ukraine, and reduce the war and the international support to &quot;might makes right&quot;.</p>
