6th June, 2023
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) in the Hague is set to hear a case brought by Ukraine against Russian aggression in eastern Ukraine, in legal proceedings due to start on Tuesday.
Ukraine filed the lawsuit against Russia in 2017, long before the current war, for supporting pro-Russian rebels in the Donbass region and oppressing the non-Russian population in Crimea.
The court case now begins against the backdrop of Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine 16 months ago.
Kiev accuses Russia of supporting the separatists in the Donbass with weapons and money and thereby violating the International Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism adopted by the United Nations.
Moscow rejects these accusations.
Ukraine is due to take the stand first on Tuesday.
On Thursday, Russia’s legal representatives get to have their say. It is not yet known when a verdict will be reached. The ICJ’s decisions are legally binding.