UKRAINE will meet Russia today at the United Nations’ highest court to address the issue of Russia’s alleged support for pro-Russian separatists accused of shooting down Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 in 2014, Reuters reports.

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) will hear Ukraine’s claim that Russia violated a UN anti-terrorism treaty by providing funding and equipment to pro-Russian groups. International investigators determined that these groups were responsible for downing the aircraft over eastern Ukraine, resulting in the deaths of all 298 passengers and crew members.

The flight, en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, was struck by a Russian-made missile on July 17, 2014, amid ongoing conflict between pro-Russian separatists and Ukrainian government forces. This incident served as a precursor to the current war in the region.

This meeting at the ICJ, also known as the World Court, marks the first encounter between lawyers representing Ukraine and Russia since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022.

The Russian embassy officials in The Hague were unavailable for comment. The proceedings will begin with Ukraine presenting its case, followed by Russia’s opportunity to respond. Moscow has attempted to dismiss the ICJ case by arguing that the court lacks jurisdiction.

In November of the previous year, a Dutch court convicted two Russian individuals and one Ukrainian national in absentia for their involvement in the MH17 downing, sentencing them to life imprisonment. The court also determined that Russia had “overall control” over forces in the breakaway Donetsk People’s Republic in eastern Ukraine since mid-May 2014.

A World Court ruling supporting the claim that Russia supplied and financed rebels in eastern Ukraine responsible for the MH17 disaster would be a significant setback for Moscow. Russia has consistently denied sending troops or military equipment to eastern Ukraine in 2014.

Such a ruling could strengthen legal claims for compensation or reparations, not only from Ukraine as a state but also from individual victims of the conflict.

Decisions made by the ICJ, the highest UN court for state disputes, are legally binding but lack enforcement mechanisms. – June 6, 2023.