Moscow, Feb 3 (UNI) The only matter left for the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to consider in a case brought by Ukraine against Russia under the genocide convention is whether Kiev had committed genocide in Donbas, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.
On Friday, ICJ President Joan E. Donoghue said that the court had jurisdiction to hear most parts of Ukraine’s 2022 case against Russia submitted after the start of the special military operation. At the same time, the top UN court said it did not have competence to rule on several points, including that the use of force during Russia’s military operation amounted to a breach of the genocide convention.
“So now the court will review only one issue – whether Ukraine committed genocide in Donbass. In other words, Kiev has put itself in the dock as part of its own claims. We can only applaud Kiev and its Western patrons for so deftly shooting themselves in the foot,” Zakharova said in a statement.
She added that the court had rejected all Ukraine’s claims that Russia had violated and “abused” the convention to justify starting its special military operation and agreed that Kiev’s accusations had nothing to do with the convention.
