The Hague, March 7 : The International Court of Justice (ICJ) in the Hague on Monday began public hearings on the war between Russia and Ukraine. Ukraine alleged that Russia cannot invade a sovereign state in order to stop “a non-existent genocide”. The hearing will continue on Tuesday, an ICJ statement said. As the principal judicial organ of the ted Nations, the ICJ has a vital role to play in the peaceful settlement of disputes. Ukraine filed an application with the ICJ on February 26 to initiate proceedings against Russia under the Convention on the Prevention and P shment of the Crime of Genocide and urged it to call upon Russia to halt all military actions in Ukraine immediately. “Russia must be held accountable for manipulating the notion of genocide to justify aggression,” it said. Kyiv denied Russia’s claims that genocide has occurred in the Luhansk and Donetsk regions of Ukraine. ASU MR