​Moscow stated on Thursday at the UN International Court of Justice (IC) that Kyiv destroyed the Kakhovskaya Dam with “massive” artillery strikes, also accusing the Kyiv regime of “neo-Nazis”, France Presse and Agerpres report.
The accusations come as Russia and Ukraine bring their case to the UN’s top court in The Hague, in which Kyiv accuses Moscow of violating the anti-terrorist financing treaty by supporting separatists in eastern Ukraine since 2014.
“Ukraine stated that Russia blew up a large dam in Nova Kakhovka. Actually, it was done by Ukraine,” said the Russian ambassador to the Netherlands, Oleksandr Shulgin.
“The Kyiv regime not only carried out massive artillery strikes on the dam (…), but also deliberately raised the water level of the Kakhov reservoir to a critical level by opening the valves of the hydroelectric plant,” he accused.
Shulgin did not present any evidence in court to support his responses to statements made by Ukraine to the International Court of Justice on Tuesday in a case it brought to the court in 2017.
The Ukrainian delegation called Moscow a “terrorist state” and claimed that support for the separatists was a harbinger of an invasion in February 2022.
Shulgin insisted that Kyiv “does not have the moral authority to make such accusations.”
“This regime came to power in a violent coup in 2014, supported by nationalists who are direct descendants of Nazi collaborators in World War II,” he added.
According to the Russian diplomat, key positions in the Ukrainian government are occupied by “neo-Nazis” who have spread “terror” throughout the country.
To justify Russian intervention, Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly condemned the “genocide” of the Russian-speaking population in eastern Ukraine and described Volodymyr Zelenskyi’s government as “neo-Nazi.” These statements were denied by the Ukrainian government and the country’s Jewish community, AFP notes.
The conflict with pro-Russian separatists has killed nearly 13,000 people since it erupted in early 2014, a month after the ouster of pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych, followed by Moscow’s annexation of the Crimean peninsula.
The verdict of the International Court of Justice, created after the Second World War to settle disputes between UN member states, is not expected in a few months or even years.
___
- Follow the latest events of the war in Ukraine LIVETEXT on HotNews.ro
Source: Hot News
James Springer is a renowned author and opinion writer, known for his bold and thought-provoking articles on a wide range of topics. He currently works as a writer at 247 news reel, where he uses his unique voice and sharp wit to offer fresh perspectives on current events. His articles are widely read and shared and has earned him a reputation as a talented and insightful writer.