The International Court of Justice accepts Russia’s counterclaim against Ukraine
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has decided to hear Russia’s counterclaim in the case regarding the alleged genocide of the population in Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
This was stated in a press release issued by the court on December 8.
The document notes that Russia’s claims were recognized as “admissible”, meaning this concerns only the procedural stage and does not imply any judgment on the merits of the allegations.
The court established a schedule for further proceedings: Ukraine must submit a written response to the counterclaim by December 7, 2026, while Russia must submit its rebuttal by December 7, 2027. After that, the court will move to subsequent stages, including oral hearings.
The decision on the admissibility of the counterclaim was made by a majority vote — 11 judges supported the step, while four opposed it. The press release emphasizes that this concerns formal admissibility and not recognition of any facts, meaning the case now moves into the phase of exchanging detailed legal positions between the parties.
Russia claims that Ukraine allegedly committed genocide against the populations of Luhansk and Donetsk, using these allegations as one of the justifications for the full-scale invasion in 2022.
Just a few days after the start of the aggression, on February 26, 2022, Ukraine approached the ICJ, demanding that it recognize that Moscow is abusing the concept of “genocide” to justify its war.
In subsequent years, Russia submitted various procedural objections and motions in the case. Over 20 countries joined the proceedings, expressing interest and submitting relevant declarations. On November 18, 2024, Russia filed a memorandum containing its counterclaims.
