The International Court of Justice in the Hague has issued a preliminary ruling on jurisdiction in the case of Ukraine against Russia on "distortion of the concept of genocide," UNN reports with reference to Radio Liberty.
"The court ruled that this case can be considered further on the merits," the statement said.
According to the BBC, the UN court partially rejected Russia's claim that Ukraine's lawsuit did not fall within the jurisdiction of the body.
At the same time, the court recalled that the Russian authorities have repeatedly accused Kyiv of genocide of the Russian-speaking population of Donbas when explaining the need for the so-called "special military operation" (as Moscow calls the war it is waging against Ukraine).
Thus, the UN court decided to partially consider Ukraine's claims on the merits.
At the same time, the court rejected Ukraine's claim that Russia's unfair accusations of genocide against Ukraine by its own forces could be a violation of the International Convention on the Prevention of Genocide.
At the previous stage of the lawsuit, which took place last September, Kyiv argued that Moscow (including President Vladimir Putin personally) had used false accusations of genocide in Donbas to justify the illegal invasion.
Recall
Ukraine filed a lawsuit with the International Court of Justice a few days after the start of a full-scale war in 2022.
Russia has ignored the ruling of the Hague Court to cease hostilities.
Moscow ignored the 2022 hearing on provisional measures, but filed an objection to the court's jurisdiction. During the 2023 hearings, Russian lawyers asked the court to dismiss the complaint, calling the case an "abuse of process".