The UN International Court of Justice has ordered Russia to cease warfare on Ukrainian territory pending a decision on the ʼgenocideʼ case. The relevant decision was ruled on Wednesday.
“The order is binding on Russia in accordance with the international law. Ignoring the decision will push Russia into even greater isolation,” commented President Volodymyr Zelensky.
The court also ordered the Russian Federation to ensure that any military or regular units managed or maintained by Russia and any organizations or individuals that could be indirectly controlled by it would not take further action in the military operations. Both sides have been ordered to refrain from activities that could aggravate the situation.
According to European Pravda, announcing the decision, the judge noted that the court has jurisdiction to investigate whether genocide is taking place in Ukraine, but only after the lawsuit filed by Ukraine against Russia. The judge explained that the court had no evidence that Ukraine was committing genocide on its territory, as Russia claims.
The judge also said that she doubts that the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide allows unilateral hostilities in another state to prevent genocide.
On February 26, 2022, Ukraine filed a lawsuit with the UN International Court of Justice alleging that Russia had violated the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. Ukraine also immediately filed a motion for preventive measures, asking the UN court to order Russia to stop the war in Ukraine. Vladimir Putin justifies the Russian invasion of Ukraine by alleged ʼgenocideʼ of the population of the occupied Donbas.