Has the UN Court disgraced itself? Most of Ukraine’s accusations against Russia are not recognised
31 January 2024 19:24
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague has found Russia in breach of certain parts of the Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism. The relevant decision was announced in The Hague in a case brought by Ukraine, according to 
The International Court of Justice has recognised the actions of the Russian Federation as a violation of certain aspects of the UN Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism . This concerns Russia’s failure to investigate the financing of separatist groups in eastern Ukraine in 2014.
“The Russian Federation has violated its obligations under Article Nine, paragraph 1, of the ICSFT and remains obliged under this provision to investigate sufficiently substantiated allegations of the financing of acts of terrorism in eastern Ukraine,” the decision reads,
– the decision reads.
At the same time, the Court found no evidence of Russia’s responsibility on most points. In particular, the UN decided that Russia did not have reasonable grounds to suspect that the funds it provided were being used or could be used to finance terrorism.
The International Court of Justice also did not satisfy Ukraine’s claim for compensation.
Kyiv’s request for a ruling on Russia’s direct responsibility for the downing of Malaysian Airlines flight MH17, shot down from territories not controlled by Ukraine on 17 July 2014, was also rejected.
Regarding Russia’s alleged violation of the International Convention on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, the Court found that Russia had failed to protect the rights of ethnic Ukrainians in Crimea, where the number of students studying in Ukrainian has plummeted.
Thus, the UN court today confirmed a smaller part of the charges brought by the Ukrainian side against Russia in the case of terrorist financing.
Ukraine’s lawsuit against Russia
In this case, which was filed in January 2017, Ukraine accused Russia of financing terrorism in 2014 and discriminating against the multinational population of Crimea after its annexation.
In addition, Ukraine accused Russia of violating international conventions related to discrimination and the financing of terrorism, demanding that the International Court of Justice order Russia to pay reparations for its aggression and crimes in eastern Ukraine, including the downing of flight MH17.
