Overview
- Judges ruled Russia’s counterclaims are admissible and now form part of the case Ukraine opened in February 2022 under the Genocide Convention.
- The court authorized written submissions with deadlines of December 7, 2026 for Ukraine’s response and December 7, 2027 for Russia’s reply.
- Russia’s Foreign Ministry characterized the procedural ruling as a victory, a claim not reflected in any judgment on the merits.
- Crimean parliament head Vladimir Konstantinov said the case will scrutinize alleged actions in Crimea and Donbas, and he reported about 10,000 pages of supporting materials compiled with academic and regional bodies.
- The decision addresses procedure only, so the question of genocidal conduct remains unresolved and the proceedings are expected to extend over multiple years.