Ukraine v. Russia : International Court Of Justice Concludes Hearing Ukraine's Application; Russia Refuses To Appear [LIVE UPDATES]

Ukraine: According to a UN Report in the first 6 days of Russia's war there were nearly as many civilian casualties as in the last 5 years of the Donbass conflict. That is just confirmed casualties with UN recognising that the real number is much higher and climbing everyday.

Ukraine: It is as recently as 31st Jan, 2022 that in a meeting of the UNSC, the permanent representative of Russia reacted angrily to suggestions that Russia planned to invade. He mockingly called upon the United States to quote "show us at least some evidence".

Ukraine: Tragically Ukraine's adversaries have had no regard to the lives of civilians on their side of the line. This is not Ukraine's position alone. It is a fact documented by the UN Human Rights monitoring mission.

Ukraine: This is another flagrant lie for which Russia has offered no support. Ukrainian civilians on both sides of the contact line have suffered from a conflict which Russia has funded and fuelled and increasingly waged itself.

Ukraine: The closest President Putin has come to even explaining his accusation of genocide is to assert as he did on Feb 21 that "Not a single day goes by without Donbass communities coming under shelling attacks"

Ukraine: These are the circumstances in which Russia claims that Ukraine has been committing genocide against its own people. It would be an understatement to say that Russia has provided no evidence for acts of genocide in the course of this conflict.

Ukraine: Russia is bombarding the city and cutting off its power, water and heat.

Ukraine: I should add that Mariupol is a Russian speaking city. Russia's claim to be the protectors of Russian speaking people in Ukraine could not protect the people of Mariupol from a barrage of Russian rockets. Just that it is not protecting Mariupol today.

Ukraine agent cites statement of the Secretary General of UN that the attackers had fired indiscriminately into civilian areas.

Ukraine agent highlights incidents of Russian aggression in the past. Refers to the 2018 shelling of residential district in the city of Mariupol on Jan 24, 2015. 30 civilians had died in the attack.