Russia ignores ICJ as Ukraine request court to end ‘war crimes’

Russia has refused to send representatives to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) this week, as Ukraine requested the court to bid Russia to promptly end its invasion and stop ‘crimes against humanity and war crimes’.

Ukraine states Russia’s ‘full-scale, brutal invasion’ – expressed by Vladimir Putin as a ‘special military operation’ to avert genocide in eastern Ukraine – is revolved around ‘an absurd lie’, which turns the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide ‘on its head’.

‘Russia’s lie is all the more offensive, and ironic, because it appears that it is Russia planning acts of genocide in Ukraine,’ Ukraine’s lawyers reported to the court.

The ICJ is being urged to put forward ‘provisional measures’, including demands for Russia to immediately cease its military efforts and announce that no acts of genocide, as claimed by Russia, have been actioned in the Luhansk and Donetsk regions of Ukraine.

Joan E Donoghue, the court’s president Judge stated that Russia’s ambassador to the Netherlands, Alexander Shulgin, has ‘indicated that his government did not intend to participate in the oral proceedings’. ‘The court regrets the non-appearance,’ she remarked.

Ukraine’s representative, Anton Korynevich stated: ‘This is of course not the first time that Ukraine has experienced first-hand Russia’s disrespect for international law. Now the world understands the depth of its disrespect.’

He further commented: ‘The fact that Russian seats are empty speaks loudly. They are not here in this court of law. They are on a battlefield waging aggressive war against my country.

‘This is how Russia solves disputes, but Ukraine had another position and respects international law and this court of law. But, even still, Russia knows international law matters. Why else would Russia try to justify its aggression?’

Korynevich remarked that Putin’s allegation of genocide is ‘a horrible lie’, expressing to the court: ‘Putin lies and Ukrainians, our citizens, die. It is not Ukraine who commits genocide – it is Russia and its political leadership and military personnel who commit crimes against humanity and war crimes.’

The pressing hearing was expected to be heard from Russia’s representatives on Tuesday morning, althoughit concluded later this week with the court stating it will ‘render its order as soon as possible’ – but it appears unlikely that Russia would accept any orders set out by the ICJ.