MOSCOW, September 18. /TASS/. Moscow may consider withdrawing from the jurisdiction of the UN International Court of Justice, which begins hearings on Ukraine’s suit against Russia, if the court yields to the Kiev regime and makes a politicized decision, Konstantin Kosachev, deputy speaker of Russia’s Federation Council, said.

Ukraine is accusing Russia of violating the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.

"There is no doubt that the decision will be as politicized as possible. If the UN International Court of Justice plays up to Kiev and the collective West, it will forever lose its standing as a reputable judicial authority in the eyes of Russia and other countries. If, following the case review, they publicize some nonsense instead of a judicial decision, Russia will have to contemplate a scenario where it leaves the jurisdiction of the UN International Court, something that is a complex legal task in itself, because this is one of the UN’s main bodies and the Statute of the International Court is an indivisible part of the UN Charter," the senator wrote on his Telegram channel. "The gradual breakup of all UN bodies is apparent. I am stating this with sincere regret," he added.

Kosachev noted that during the lawsuit, Russia’s preliminary objections will be heard out followed by the positions of third parties. "For the first time in history, the court will allow 32 countries of the collective West who support the Kiev regime to join in at once. After that, judges will make a decision on jurisdiction and, depending on the outcome, a substantive judgment," the politician explained.

In his opinion, Ukraine "is falling in the same judicial trap as Georgia when it filed a suit against Russia in 2008." The senator reiterated that then, the Georgians, under the cover of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, had disguised their territorial demands and issues with Russia’s peacekeeping operation outside of the UN International Court’s jurisdiction. "In the same way, Ukraine is citing the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, even though the essence of the lawsuit boils down precisely to challenging the legality of holding the special military operation in accordance with the UN Charter as well as the status of Russia’s new territories, which is outside the UN International Court’s jurisdiction," the deputy speaker stressed.

He pointed out that there are no signs of genocide in Russia’s actions as officially confirmed by the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine in September 2023. "At the moment, we do not have sufficient available evidence that would meet the legal qualification provided for by the Genocide Convention," Commission Chairman Erik Mose said. "And this is not about genocide as such. Ukrainian authorities simply needed to find a convention with the participation of both Russia and Ukraine on which the UN International Court is authorized to make decisions. <...>. The Kiev regime’s goal is to create a political precedent at the UN Court," Kosachev noted.

On September 18-27, the UN International Court of Justice in The Hague will hold hearings within the framework of Ukraine’s claim against Russia on violating the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. The hearings will be devoted to preliminary objections voiced by the Russian Federation.