Ukraine called Russia a terrorist state at the top UN court as hearings began in a case over Moscow’s backing of pro-Russian separatists blamed for shooting down Malaysian Airlines Flight MH17 in 2014, reported from Reuters.

It was the first time lawyers for Ukraine and Russia met at the International Court of Justice, also known as the World Court, since Moscow launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022. Legal teams with dozens of representatives were sent by each side.

A panel of 16 judges at the ICJ began hearing Ukraine’s claim that Moscow violated a UN anti-terrorism treaty by equipping and funding pro-Russian forces who shot down the jetliner, killing all 298 passengers and crew.

In the same claim, Ukraine has also asked the Hague-based court to order Russia to halt discrimination against the Tatar ethnic group in Crimea, a Ukrainian peninsula occupied by Russia since 2014.

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