17 MARCH 2022 /
International Court of Justice:
RUSSIA MUST IMMEDIATELY SUSPEND MILITARY OPERATIONS IN UKRAINE /
“Russia must immediately suspend military operations in Ukraine, the UN International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled on Wednesday, in The Hague,” reports UN News on 16 March 2022.
By a vote of 13 to two, with Vice-President Kirill Gevorgian of Russia and Judge Xue Hanqin of China dissenting, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that Russia “shall immediately suspend the military operations that it commenced on 24 February.”
“The court’s ruling – the first such verdict handed down by the ‘world court’ since the Russian invasion began – is in response to a suit filed by Ukraine on 27 February, accusing Russia of manipulating the concept of genocide to justify its military aggression”, UN News reported immediately after the historical judgement in the Hague, Netherlands.
“Indeed, any military operation, in particular one on the scale carried out by the Russian Federation on the territory of Ukraine, inevitably causes loss of life, mental and bodily harm, and damage to property and to the environment,” said ICJ President Joan Donoghue.
“The civilian population affected by the present conflict is extremely vulnerable,” adding that Russia’s aggression has resulted in “numerous civilian deaths and injuries…significant material damage, including the destruction of buildings and infrastructure. Attacks are ongoing and are creating increasingly difficult living conditions for the civilian population. Many people have no access to the most basic foodstuffs, potable water, electricity, essential medicines or heating. A very large number of people are attempting to flee from the most affected cities under extremely insecure conditions,” said the President, International Court of Justice.
“Ukraine gained a complete victory in its case against Russia at the International Court of Justice. The ICJ ordered an immediate stop to the invasion. The order is binding under international law. Russia must comply immediately. Ignoring the order will isolate Russia even further,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky welcomed the historic verdict.
Meanwhile, the UNDP Report – The Development Impact of the War in Ukraine released on 16 March 2022 indicates that ‘nearly 30 percent of the population are likely to require life-saving humanitarian assistance. In its current scale and direction, 18 million people are projected to become affected and more than 7 million people internally displaced.’
