The United Nations’ highest court on February 2 is due to rule on whether it has jurisdiction in a case filed by Ukraine against Russia shortly after the start of Moscow’s full-scale invasion of its neighbor almost two years ago.
The case filed by Kyiv at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) at The Hague accuses Russia of violating the 1948 Genocide Convention by falsely claiming that the February 24, 2022, invasion was launched in order to curb an alleged genocide of Russian speakers in eastern Ukraine.
In a preliminary ruling, ICJ judges ordered Russia in March 2022 to stop the invasion, but Moscow rejected the decision, arguing the court, which resolves legal complaints by states over alleged breaches of international law, had no legal right to decide in this case.
In September, lawyers for Russia asked the court at a preliminary hearing to throw out the case, reiterating that the court had no jurisdiction.
During the hearing, Ukraine said Russia’s ignoring the court’s ruling amounted to an attack on the ICJ’s authority.
“Every missile that Russia fires at our cities, it fires in defiance of this court,” said Anton Korynevych, Ukraine’s representative at the court.
While its decisions are legally binding, the court has no means to enforce them.
