Press release on the filing of Russia’s written objections to the jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice in the case initiated by Kiev in February 2022 under the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide

On October 3, the Russian Federation submitted to the International Court of Justice its written objections to the jurisdiction of the court to consider the merits of the claim filed by Kiev in February 2022 against our country under the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.

It is clearly and unambiguously explained in the document that Kiev's claims are actually limited to challenging the legality of the special military operation in accordance with the United Nations Charter and the status of the Donetsk and Lugansk people’s republics. The Convention has nothing to do with these matters.

The Russian side emphasised that the Ukrainian side has again abused the procedural right to appeal to the International Court of Justice. In particular, it chose the 1948 Convention as the basis for its claim because it is the only international treaty to which both Russia and Ukraine are parties that allows recourse to the Court and does not require the mandatory pre-trial stage of dispute settlement.

Russia's objections also cite the real genesis of the armed conflict in Ukraine, which was initiated by Kiev against Donbass in 2014.