Thread by @Rail_splitter1

Let’s talk about the hoax that’s been perpetrated daily for 9 years and that was key to for this illegal invasion and its atrocities: Russian assertions that Ukraine has committed “genocide” against “ethnic Russians” in Donetsk and Luhansk.

We know these are lies. We’ve seen the staged videos only attested to by Kremlin media and about the memorials of “killed children”. Massive strikes on civilians with artillery over 9 years would have caused a firestorm at the UN, at countless NGOs and non-Kremlin media.

Here is the UN, which had hundreds of human monitors on the ground: 3106 civilians killed in 2014-2021 (3400 with the victims of MH17 brought down by Russia). Most occurred within a year of the mass influxes of Russian forces that started in the summer of 2014.

But there’s more. Few people know that a year ago Russia, with its obfuscations, evasions, lies and refusals to participate, effectively admitted it was lying about its claims of genocide in a legal case before the International Court of Justice.

On February 26, 2022 Ukraine made an application to the International Court of Justice of the UN against Russia in the case “Allegations of Genocide under the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (Ukraine icj-cij.org/sites/default/…… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

Ukraine’s argument was: Russia has falsely accused Ukraine of genocide; used that false allegation to justify the recognition of “breakaway republics”; and used that recognition as a justification for an illegal armed invasion of Ukraine aimed at annihilating Ukrainian statehood.

Ukraine asked the ICJ for a finding that it has not committed genocide, a finding that Russia’s actions violate the UN Charter and the Genocide Convention, and a provisional measure that orders Russia to withdraw all its forces.

This case, brilliantly brought to the ICJ by Dmytro Kuleba’s miracle workers within a few days of the illegal invasion, encapsulates perfectly why Russia’s fondest dream is to destroy this entire post-war edifice on which the world is built.

It turns out that Russia’s vile propaganda, used to justify Russian crimes and predations, has consequences. Brazenly lying that you are invading your neighbour to stop genocide triggers the provisions of the Genocide Convention and the jurisdiction of the ICJ.

Ukraine argued the genocide allegations and the invasion predicated on them constitute a “conflict between parties” under Article IX of the 1948 Genocide Convention. Ukraine asked for the ICJ to determine that the allegations are false and to order the withdrawal of the invaders.

Now Russia had the perfect opportunity - in fact, an obligation - to present to the world all available evidence for the terrible genocide, including the names, dates and circumstances of each monstrous act of deliberate murder by the “Kiev nationalists”.

At a time of worldwide condemnation and tightening sanctions, Russia could finally show the world its noble intent to “stop the Nazis” yet again. It was also a perfect chance to eliminate all Western support for Ukraine by showing the West the truth.

What did Russia do? It first hid, refusing to respond. Then it responded that the ICJ had no jurisdiction. When the ICJ rejected this, Russia claimed that stopping genocide was not a part of the publicly advanced motives for the invasion but that UN Charter Art. 51 was.

The ICJ determined this was untrue: Putin’s two speeches on Feb. 22 and Feb. 24 explicitly mentioned “genocide” as at least a partial cause of the invasion. The Court pointed to numerous other high officials having made such statement for years.

The task before the Court wasn’t immediately to determine the merits of the genocide allegations but to determine whether a Genocide Convention “conflict between parties” exists, and whether Russia’s actions appear likely to be considered unlawful when the Court rules on the… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

On March 16, 2022, the ICJ ruled that Russia’s actions cause dire and imminent threat to Ukraine, and ordered it to withdraw all forces immediately from all occupied territories. It pointed to Russia’s cynical attempt to base its aggression on Art. 51 (self-defence).

Of course, Russia, a “responsible” permanent member of the UNSC, ignored the order of the UN’s highest legal authority. Why wouldn’t it? The words of Putin, Lavrov & Co. drip with sarcasm and contempt when they talk of the “rules-based order” they hate with such passion.

Lies upon lies upon lies. Russian lies are so staggeringly massive that not even any room to manoeuvre remains. In the rare cases they are scrutinised by a legal power, Russian lies - and the lies used to claim that the lies do not exist - fall apart before our eyes.