UN’s top court to rule on Ukraine’s allegation that Russia bankrolled rebels

The Peace Palace, which houses the International Court of Justice in The Hague, Netherlands (Patrick Post/AP)

The United Nations’ top court will rule on Wednesday on Ukraine’s allegations that Russia bankrolled separatist rebels in the country’s east a decade ago and has discriminated against Crimea’s multiethnic community since its annexation of the peninsula.

The legally binding final ruling is the first of two expected decisions from the International Court of Justice linked to the decade-long conflict between Russia and Ukraine which exploded into a full-blown war almost two years ago.