ICJ: Much of Ukraine's 'Terrorism' Case Against Russia Dismissed

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Facts

  • The International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Thursday dismissed major components of a case filed by Ukraine accusing Russia of financing terrorism and racially discriminating against ethnic minorities in Crimea.1
  • In its lawsuit filed in 2017, Kyiv alleged that Moscow had violated the UN's anti-terrorism treaty by funding pro-Russian separatists fighting its troops in eastern Ukraine in 2014.2
  • Ukraine had also accused Russia of supplying the missile system to rebels who Kyiv claimed shot down Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, which killed all 298 people on board.2
  • However, Thursday's legally binding ruling rejected Ukraine's requests to order Russia to pay reparations for both charges, stating Moscow had failed 'to take measures to investigate facts…regarding persons who have allegedly committed an offence.'3
  • In addition, the ICJ ruled that Russia had only violated the Convention on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination by limiting education in the Ukrainian language in Crimea and maintaining a ban on the Mejlis — a representative assembly for Tartars in the region.4
  • On Friday, the court will rule in another case in which Ukraine has accused Russia of applying the 1948 Genocide Convention to justify launching its 2022 invasion.5

Sources: 1Associated Press, 2Reuters, 3Al Jazeera, 4PBS NewsHour and 5BBC News.

Narratives

  • Pro-Ukraine narrative, as provided by POLITICO. Terrorism funding includes supplying weapons and training — not just monetary and financial support — to radicals. Following Russia's sending of arms and money to pro-Russian forces in Ukraine, knowing that this would be used to kill and intimidate innocent civilians, the ICJ missed a historic opportunity to label Russia a state sponsor of terror.
  • Pro-Russia narrative, as provided by TASS. With Thursday's ruling, the ICJ has acknowledged that there is no racial discrimination in Crimea or that the Russians had any role in equipping and funding pro-Russian forces, including rebels who reportedly shot down MH17. It saw past Ukraine's distortion of facts and overwhelmingly rejected its baseless allegations.

Predictions