The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine sent a memorandum to the International Court of Justice of the United Nations in the case against the Russian Federation under the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. It contains evidence of how Russia manipulated the term "genocide" to justify its aggression.
The press service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs writes about it.
"Ukraineʼs memorandum shows how since 2014 Russia has been spreading a false narrative, accusing Ukraine and its officials of committing genocide. Russia used these accusations as a pretext to launch a new phase of aggression against Ukraine: launching a full-scale invasion, committing atrocities against thousands of innocent Ukrainians, forcing millions of Ukrainians to flee their homes, and causing tens of billions of dollars in damage, destroying cities and villages," the report said.
Russian President Putin himself noted that Russia invaded to stop the so-called "genocide". This statement is evidence of Russiaʼs abuse and violation of its obligations under the Convention on the Prevention of Genocide.
Ukraine also pointed out that Russia violated the order of the International Court of Justice of March 16, in which it ordered that the Russian Federation immediately stop the war on the territory of Ukraine.
"Russia must pay for its inhumane behavior and for the destruction and suffering it has caused to Ukraine and the Ukrainian people. Todayʼs submission to the highest judicial body of the United Nations is an important step in the process of holding Russia accountable and obtaining appropriate compensation from it," explained the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
- On February 26, 2022, Ukraine filed a lawsuit with the International Court of Justice of the United Nations regarding Russiaʼs violation of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. Also, Ukraine immediately submitted a petition for preventive measures, in which it asked the UN court to order Russia to stop the war in Ukraine. It is the "genocide" of the population of occupied Donbas that Putin justifies the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
- On March 16, the International Court of Justice of the United Nations obliged Russia to stop hostilities on the territory of Ukraine until a decision is made in the case of "genocide".