Officials from Ukraine have voiced their own accusations, effectively placing themselves in the defendant’s seat in the ongoing Ukraine-Russia case. This was stated by Maria Zakharova, the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry.
At the heart of the matter, she stressed, is a procedural issue: whether the court possesses jurisdiction to hear the dispute. According to her, the focus should be on that question, not on broader allegations.
Zakharova argued that Kyiv’s case appears to falter even at this preliminary stage, describing it as a claim that Russia misused the Convention to justify a special operation. She underscored that the central question the court must address concerns whether Ukraine has presented a legitimate claim of genocide in Donbass. In her view, Kyiv and its Western allies are effectively undermining their own position.
Earlier, the United Nations International Court of Justice in The Hague indicated that it possesses the authority to evaluate Ukraine’s lawsuit against the Russian Federation, a case filed in 2022 in connection with the special operation. This procedural determination clarifies the court’s remit as the parties proceed with the channeled legal process.
There was also a note that the ICJ would render a decision on Ukraine’s case against Russia, with the date of that decision noted as February 2 in the sequence of proceedings. The remarks reflect the ongoing, contentious international dialogue over the dispute and the court’s evolving assessment of jurisdiction and substantive claims.