The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has dismissed a significant portion of Ukraine’s claims against Russia, specifying that Moscow has only failed to investigate alleged offenses, according to Aljazeera.
Ukraine’s accusations date back to a decade ago in 2014, alleging that Russia funded separatist rebels in eastern Ukraine.
The ICJ stated that it found merit only in Moscow’s failure to investigate the alleged breaches.
Ukraine further labeled Russia as a “terrorist state,” asserting that its support for pro-Russian separatists led to the 2022 invasion.
However, the court refrained from ruling specifically on Russian responsibility for the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 in 2014.
The ICJ, in its ruling, noted that Russia was “failing to take measures to investigate facts … regarding persons who have allegedly committed an offence.”
The court emphasized that only cash transfers could be considered as support under the terrorism financing convention.
Regarding breaches of an international convention on racial discrimination, specifically related to the Tatar minority and Ukrainian speakers in occupied Crimea, the court found Russia lacking in taking sufficient measures to enable education in Ukrainian.
Amidst the hearings, Russia’s ambassador, Alexander Shulgin, accused Ukraine of “blatant lies,” while Ukrainian diplomat Anton Korynevych asserted that Russia was attempting to “wipe us off the map.”
The ICJ will deliver another ruling on a case where Kyiv accuses Moscow of falsely applying the UN’s Genocide Convention in justifying its invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022. While the ICJ’s judgments are final, it lacks enforcement capabilities.
The conflict between Ukraine and Russia, initiated on February 24, 2022, has resulted in significant loss of life and displacement of residents, with Ukraine accusing Russia of war crimes in its territory, claiming over 10,000 casualties to date.
