The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin over an alleged scheme to deport Ukrainian children to Russia. The court alleges that Putin is responsible for war crimes, and has focused its claims on the unlawful deportation of children from Ukraine to Russia. Additionally, it claims that crimes were committed in Ukraine when Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022. The allegations have been denied by Moscow, who has called the warrants outrageous.
The ICC has accused the Russian President Putin for the war crimes committed during the Ukraine war that continues from last one year. Russia claims that throughout the invasion of its neighbour, Ukraine, its military forces did not engage in any atrocities. Putin is wanted by the ICC on allegations of illegally deporting minors and smuggling people into Russia from Ukraine. Maria Alekseyevna Lvova-Belova, Russia’s Commissioner for Children’s Rights, was given a warrant for the same offences. However, as ICC has n police force of its own, enforcement of the warrants completely depends on the cooperation of the international members.
The International Criminal Court’s decision to issue an arrest warrant for President Vladimir Putin was declared legally “invalid” by the Kremlin on Friday because Moscow does not acknowledge the Hague-based court’s authority. A spokeswoman for the ministry of foreign affairs, Maria Zakharova said, “Russia is not an ICC member and bears no obligations under it. Russia does not cooperate with this body, and any possible arrest coming from the International Court of Justice will be legally null and void for us.”
The warrant came a day after the United Nations backed the inquiry accusing Russia of deporting children in the areas it controls and for committing wide ranging war crimes in Ukraine. However, Russia denies deliberately harming citizens but its defense ministry has claimed to have targeted the energy infrastructure in Ukraine.
After the arrest warrant issued against Russian President Putin, a spokesperson from the ministry of foreign affairs said that the arrest warrant has no meaning to them, as country had withdrawn from the ICC in 2016. Maria Zakharova, a spokeswoman for the ministry of foreign affairs, said, “Russia is not an ICC member and bears no obligations under it. Russia does not cooperate with this body, and any possible arrest coming from the International Court of Justice will be legally null and void for us.”
Whereas, Former Russian President and deputy chair of the Security Council of Russia, Dmitry Medvedev, compared the ICC’s arrest warrant for Putin to toilet paper. He tweeted, “The International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant against Vladimir Putin. No need to explain WHERE this paper should be used (with the toilet paper emoji).”
According to the information, the International Criminal Court in the last 20 years, has issued only five convictions for core crimes, and none of them were top officials. The investigation in this case was launched by ICC prosecutor Karim Khan, after he visited the war hit Ukraine four times. In addition to the children’s home in Southern Ukraine, he also visited the Kyiv region, where civilians were massacred in Bucha, along with this the Kharkiv region, home to residential neighbourhoods in the town of Borodianka devastated by shelling.
After the United Nations backed the inquiry, the investigation found that the crimes were committed against Ukrainians on Russian territory, including the deportation of Ukrainian children prevented from reuniting with their families.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has welcomed the decision taken by the International Criminal Court. He said that the decision by the ICC against Putin is just a preliminary step. It would help is restoring the justice on Russia’s invasion to Ukraine.
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