The head of the Main Intelligence Agency of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, Kyrylo Budanov, said that the decision of the International Court of Justice of January 31, 2024, where the Russian Federation was charged with violating the norms of the Convention on the Financing of Terrorism, "is a mistake and a disaster."

The Main Intelligence Agency's Telegram channel notes that, according to the interpretation of the UN Court, the Russian Federation "cannot be recognized as a sponsor of terrorism, since the Russian Buk air defense system, which killed 298 civilian passengers and crew members of the Boeing MH-17 in 2014, is a weapon, not money."

"This is a disgrace for the international judicial system, this court decision is a mistake and a disaster, failure to recognize obvious facts will have very important consequences, primarily for many civilized countries. According to the logic of the International Court, Russia is not a sponsor of terrorism, because there was no transfer of funds into accounts for the purchase of weapons, but there was the use of weapons, the Russian air defense system, which led to casualties," Budanov said in a comment to the French publication Liberation.

The head of the Main Intelligence Agency of the Ministry of Defense added that "if the aggressor state gives (the separatists) an air defense system, but not money, and they shoot down a civilian Boeing, then, in principle, this will not be terrorism."

As reported, the International Court of Justice on January 31 ruled in the case of Ukraine against the Russian Federation and found that the Russian Federation violated some parts of the UN Convention on the Prevention of the Financing of Terrorism because it did not investigate financial support for separatists in eastern Ukraine in 2014.

Despite this, the court did not award compensation, as requested by the Ukrainian side. The court also refused to make a specific decision on the probable responsibility of the Russian Federation for the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 over territory not controlled by Ukraine on July 17, 2014, as requested by Ukraine.