MOSCOW, September 19. /TASS/. The West's attempts to put pressure on the UN International Court of Justice within the framework of the Russian-Ukrainian proceedings are incompatible with the independence of this judicial body, Russia’s Foreign Ministry has said in a statement.

"The peculiarity of this trial is the landslide-like intervention in the process by the Kiev regime's patrons, which has no precedent in the judicial practice. A group of 32 Western countries have entered the proceedings under the pretext of their wish to "express their views on the interpretation of the Genocide Convention," but in reality - to collectively gather unreliable facts to cover up the crimes of the Kiev regime.

"Such blatant pressure is incompatible with the independence of the highest judicial body of the United Nations," the Russian Foreign Ministry said in the statement published on its website.

On February 26, 2022, Ukraine filed a lawsuit with the UN International Court of Justice against Russia regarding the interpretation, application and implementation of the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. In the lawsuit, Kiev denies that Donbass was subjected to genocide, which was one of the reasons for Russia to recognize the Donetsk and Lugansk people's republics (DPR and LPR) and to conduct a special military operation. Ukraine demands that the court recognize that Russia has no legal grounds for actions in and against Ukraine.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said that Russia disputes the court’s competence to consider this claim.

"By juggling with facts, Ukraine is trying to get the court to decide that it did not commit genocide in Donbass. Kiev's idea is this should enable it to argue that Russia wrongfully used military force by launching a special military operation and recognizing the independence of the DPR and LPR," the statement reads.