On Tuesday at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague, Ukraine accused Russia of state terrorism.

Ukraine said the destruction of the Kakhova dam in the disputed Kherson region was a targeted attack that threatened the local population.

The comments came during the start of hearings on Ukraine’s lawsuit against Russian aggression since 2014, which it filed in 2017, long before Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022.

Ukrainian Foreign Ministry Special Envoy Anton Korynevych told the ICJ that the dam attack could lead to severe environmental damage.

“Russia’s acts are those of a terrorist state,” he said. Russia has blamed Ukrainian saboteurs for the attack.

During the hearing, the ambassador accused Russia of a systematic campaign against Ukraine, its people and its culture. The aggression began in 2014 in the Donbas and Crimea, he said.

Kyiv’s representative said “the past was the prelude,” adding that since the Russian invasion in February 2023, Kremlin has wanted to erase Ukraine’s identity everywhere.

Kyiv accuses Moscow of supporting pro-Russian rebels in the Donbas region and oppressing the non-Russian population in Crimea, thereby violating the International Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism adopted by the United Nations. Moscow rejects the accusations.

Russia was also accused of shooting down passenger flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine in July 2014, killing 298 people. 

The Malaysia Airlines Boeing was shot down over eastern Ukraine by a Russian anti-aircraft missile.

On Thursday, Russia’s legal representatives would have their say in court. 

It is not yet known when a verdict will be reached.

The ICJ’s decisions are legally binding. 

(dpa/NAN)