Russia refuses to defend itself in the Hague

Evropeyska Pravda — Monday, 7 March 2022, 14:22

The Russian government has notified the International Court of Justice that the Russian Federation has no interest in defending itself against Ukraine’s accusations with regard to violations of the Genocide Convention.

This was reported by Evropeyska Pravda’s correspondent at the ICJ.

During hearings in the case against Russia, the ICJ President Joan Donohue announced that she had received a formal written refusal.

"In a letter dated March 5, the Russian Ambassador to the Netherlands, Alexander Shulgin, said that Russia does not intend to participate in the process. The court regrets Russia's decision not to participate in these hearings," she said.

It should be noted that Russia's refusal to defend itself did not stop the hearing. The court still prepared seats for the Russians in the courtroom. These remained empty, according to the Evropeyska Pravda correspondent.

The ICJ President also stressed that participants could join the meeting remotely, via video link.

Evropeyska Pravda has described Ukraine’s lawsuit in detail and how the Kremlin's statements have given the country grounds to sue Russia.

At the same time, work is underway to bring to justice the wider leadership of the Russian Federation.