The International Court of Justice (ICJ), the top court of the United Nations, delivered a verdict on Wednesday, largely dismissing Ukraine’s allegations that Russia was financing “terrorism” in eastern Ukraine.
The court specified that Moscow had failed to investigate the alleged breaches, rather than endorsing claims of terrorism.
Kyiv had previously accused Russia of being a “terrorist state” and supporting pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine, linking it to the full-fledged invasion in 2022.
Ukraine sought compensation for civilians affected by the conflict and victims of the 2014 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 downing.
However, the ICJ rejected most of Ukraine’s claims, emphasizing that Russia was only “failing to take measures to investigate facts… regarding persons who have allegedly committed an offence.”
In a statement, the court explicitly stated that it “rejects all other submissions made by Ukraine.”
Notably, this case predates Russia’s 2022 invasion, and the ICJ is set to determine its jurisdiction in a separate case related to the war on Friday.
The court clarified that, according to the international convention on terrorism financing (ICSFT), only cash transfers could be considered as support for alleged terrorist groups.
The ruling specified that the convention does not cover the means used to commit acts of terrorism, such as weapons or training camps.
As a result, the alleged supply of weapons to armed groups in Ukraine falls “outside the material scope of the ICSFT” convention, according to the court’s decision.
Anton Korynevych, Ukraine’s lead attorney in the case, expressed satisfaction with the verdict, stating, “For us, it is a very important day because this is a judgment that says the Russian Federation violated international law.”
He added that it marked the first time Russia has been labeled a violator of international law.
Despite the limited success in the ICJ ruling, the decision holds significance for Ukraine, highlighting Russia’s violation of international legal norms.
