A few weeks after Russia invaded Ukraine, violating international and humanitarian law, the wheels of the international legal system began to turn.

Three days after the invasion, Ukraine announced it would file a case against Russia before the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the U.N.’s highest court. One day later, on Feb. 28, International Criminal Court (ICC) chief prosecutor Karim Khan said he would open an investigation into alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity. And a few weeks later, an international legal task force was established to explore other avenues offered by international law to bring action against Russia.