UN to determine jurisdiction over genocide case between Russia and Ukraine

The International Court of Justice will decide on Friday if it has jurisdiction over the case that Ukraine brought in 2022. Russia claims the reason it invaded Ukraine was to stop the genocide of Russian-speaking Ukrainians in the eastern part of that country. Ukraine admits it fought Russian-backed forces in eastern Ukraine, but denies that the conflict constituted genocide. Lawyers for Ukraine also argued that Russia’s claims were not legally sufficient to justify the invasion.

What impact will the court’s decision have? It is unclear if the decision will change anything. Russia has already largely ignored a 2022 order by The Hague to end its invasion of Ukraine.

Dig deeper: Read Leigh Jones’ report in WORLD Magazine about one Ukrainian pastor’s mission to protect his homeland.