Vladimir Putin Has an Arrest Warrant Due to Claims of War Crimes in Ukraine

As Russia is not a member of the ICC, it was uncertain whether or how Vladimir Putin may ever find himself in court.

The illegal deportation of Ukrainian children is said to have been a war crime by the International Criminal Court, which issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday.
The Hague-based ICC said it has also issued a warrant against Maria Lvova-Belova, Russia’s presidential commissioner for children’s rights, on similar charges.

The orders were rejected by Moscow as “invalid.” It was unclear whether or how Vladimir Putin might ever find himself in court because Russia is not a party to the ICC.

Read Also:- Head of the Indian Central Bank: US Banking Crisis Clearly Illustrates Danger Impact of Crypto on the Financial System.

The news of the ICC was received favourably by the war-torn Ukraine, with President Volodymyr Zelensky praising the “historic decision.”the court’s shocking announcement came hours after other news that may have had a huge impact on Russia’s war in Ukraine, including the arrival of more fighter jets for Kyiv’s military and the visit of Chinese leader Xi Jinping to Moscow.

According to Kyiv, more than 16,000 Ukrainian children have been sent back to Russia since the invasion on February 24, 2022, with many of them supposedly being placed in institutions and foster homes.

Vladimir Putin is now subject to arrest if he steps foot in any of the court’s more than 120 member states, according to ICC prosecutor Karim Khan, who spoke to AFP.He stated that the arrest warrants were “based upon forensic evidence, scrutiny, and what’s been spoken by those two persons”.”Crimes against children were the primary focus of the evidence we provided. The most vulnerable members of our society are children “said Khan.

The ICC claimed that judges had determined that there were “sufficient grounds” to believe Vladimir Putin was guilty of a crime and had approved Khan’s request for the warrants, which she submitted on February 22.The execution of the warrants “depends on international collaboration,” according to ICC President Piotr Hofmanski.

historic judgement

Lvova-Belova revealed she had adopted a 15-year-old child from the destroyed Ukrainian port city of Mariupol at a meeting with Vladimir Putin in the middle of February.She told Vladimir Putin, “Now I understand what it means to be a mother of a child from Donbas; it’s a hard job, but we love one other, that’s for sure.We relocated children’s houses to secure regions, arranged for their rehabilitation and prosthetics, and gave them specialised humanitarian aid, she continued.

It is unprecedented for the ICC to issue an arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin , the president of a country that is a member of the UN Security Council.When nations are unable or unwilling to pursue suspects in the world’s worst crimes, the ICC was established in 2002 as a court of last resort.

Just days after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, prosecutor Khan opened an inquiry into possible war crimes and crimes against humanity there.Khan recently shared images from a trip to Ukraine with empty cots in a vacant children’s home and said that it was a “priority” to look into claims of kidnapping.

It’s heartfelt, he said. “One sees drawings by their kids on the walls contrasting with vacant beds and infants.”Zelensky, who had a meeting with Khan during his visit, praised the Moscow arrest warrants for his adversary.

“A historic choice from which a historic duty will start,” Zelensky stated.The move was praised by Ukraine’s Western partners as well.

US President Joseph Biden said the warrant was “legitimate,” and “makes a very powerful point,” while stressing that the United States is not a member of the ICC.

There is no question that Russia is perpetrating war crimes and atrocities in Ukraine, and the State Department has made it plain that those guilty must be held accountable. The ICC Prosecutor is a neutral party.The European Union described the decision as “only the start,” while Britain hailed it as “welcome.” It was a “great day for the numerous victims” of Russian forces, according to Human Rights Watch.

‘Void’

The warrants were rejected by the Kremlin.

“Russia, just like a number of different nations, does not accept the authority of this court and thus from a legal point of view, the rulings of this court are void,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

Dmitry Medvedev, a former Russian president, compared the warrants to toilet paper, while Maria Zakharova, a spokesperson for the foreign ministry, claimed they “had no relevance” for Russia.The ICC’s Khan nevertheless claimed there were “so many examples of those that thought they were beyond the reach of the law”.

He referred to a number of war criminals from the former Yugoslavia, including former Liberian ruler Taylor, and stated, “Look at (Slobodan) Milosevic or Charles Taylor or (Radovan) Karadzic or (Ratko) Mladic),” who have faced punishment.

Chinese President and strategic ally Xi will visit Russia next week to sign agreements ushering in a new era of relations, Beijing and Moscow declared earlier in the day.

China has vehemently denied American accusations that it is considering arm shipments to help Russia’s campaign.The arrest warrants were issued a day after UN inspectors declared that deporting and transferring Ukrainian minors forcibly to Russian-controlled territory constitutes a war crime.The investigators claimed that parents and children had related stories of Russian social services telling children they would be adopted or placed in foster households.

Despite the fact that neither Russia nor Ukraine are ICC members, Kyiv has acknowledged the court’s authority and is collaborating with Khan’sRussia disputes claims that its soldiers committed war crimes. It is improbable that it would ever turn over any suspects, according to experts.With battle still raging in Ukraine, Kyiv welcomed the announcement Friday that Slovakia will donate 13 MiG-29 warplanes.

Ukraine has long asked Western friends for fighter jets, but it especially wants contemporary F-16s built in the US.