Kyiv to prove groundlessness of Russia's accusations of genocide, says Ukraine's representative to ICJ

Permanent Representative of President of Ukraine in Crimea, Anton Korynevich, told the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Monday that Kyiv intends to prove the groundlessness of Russia's accusations of genocide against Ukraine.

The ICJ in The Hague is hearing Ukraine's application to initiate a case on genocide against Russia, with Kyiv denying that acts of genocide have been committed in the people's republics of Donetsk and Luhansk (DPR and LPR). The Russian delegation is not present at the opening of the ICJ session.

"Ukraine's case is straightforward. Russia accuses Ukraine of committing genocide. Ukraine denies that claim in the strongest possible terms and we will prove it," Korynevich said.

Ukraine on February 27 filed an Application instituting proceedings against the Russian Federation before the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the principal judicial organ of the United Nations.

Ukraine filed an application instituting proceedings against Russia concerning "a dispute . . . relating to the interpretation, application and fulfilment of the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide" (the "Genocide Convention"), the International Court of Justice had said in a statement.

In its Application, Ukraine contends, "the Russian Federation has falsely claimed that acts of genocide have occurred in the Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts of Ukraine, and on that basis recognized the so-called 'Donetsk People's Republic' and 'Luhansk People's Republic', and then declared and implemented a 'special military operation' against Ukraine".

Ukraine "emphatically denies" that such genocide has occurred and states that it submitted the Application "to establish that Russia has no lawful basis to take action in and against Ukraine for the purpose of preventing and punishing any purported genocide", read the statement.

In the Application, Ukraine also accuses the Russian Federation of "planning acts of genocide in Ukraine" and contends that Russia "is intentionally killing and inflicting serious injury on members of the Ukrainian nationality -- the actus reus of genocide under Article II of the [Genocide] Convention", the statement added.

Russian forces launched military operations in Ukraine on February 24, three days after Moscow recognized Ukraine's breakaway regions, Donetsk and Luhansk as independent republics followed by the announcement of a "special military operation" to "demilitarize" and "denazify" Ukraine.

( With inputs from ANI )

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