The International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Wednesday ruled that Ukraine has not yet presented sufficient evidence to support the claim that Russia is funding rebel group.

However, the court ruled that Russia must not discriminate against the ethnic Tatar community in Crimea.

Russia annexed the Black Sea region from Ukraine three years ago, provoking international outcry.

“Russia must refrain from imposing limitations on the ability of the Crimean Tatar community to conserve its representative institutions,” the ICJ said in a statement.

The court also held that Russia must also “ensure the availability of education in the Ukrainian language.”

Relations between neighbouring Ukraine and Russia have fallen to an all-time low since 2014, when Kiev ousted its pro-Russian president amid mass protests calling for closer ties with the West.

Russia denounced the ouster as a Western-orchestrated coup and responded by annexing Crimea and supporting the cause of rebel groups battling the Ukrainian military in that country’s two eastern-most regions, which border Russia.

Russia has adamantly denied accusations of supplying the rebels with weapons or active military personnel.

(dpa/NAN)