Moscow: Russia refused to take part in International Court of Justice (ICJ) proceedings in the Ukraine invasion case, boycotting Monday’s hearing at The Hague in The Netherlands.
Ukraine filed a suit against Russia at the highest United Nations court, seeking an emergency order to halt hostilities by arguing that Moscow has falsely applied genocide law to justify its invasion.
“The UN International Court of Justice must immediately order Russia to end the war in Ukraine,” Ukrainian representative Anton Korynevych told judges at ICJ.
“We are in this building called the peace palace while my country faces aggression. We see the aggression of Russian bombs and missiles. Millions of people are in imminent danger. Russia’s assault on Ukraine has resulted in 1.5 million people fleeing the country and many more internally displaced,” Ukraine said.
“We can no longer provide state services to our citizens, including medical services. This is not the first time we have experienced Russia’s disrespect for international law first hand. Now, the world understands Russia’s disrespect and hatred for humanity.”
There is a simultaneous case against Russia, initiated by Ukraine at International Criminal Court (ICC), which handles war crimes.