Ukraine's Foreign Minister on Putin's Arrest Warrant: International Criminals Will Be Held Accountable
Dmytro Kuleba, Minister of Foreign Affairs, has welcomed the decision of the International Criminal Court to issue an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Pre-Trial Chamber II of the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin on 17 March, in the view of the situation in Ukraine.
"Wheels of Justice are turning: I applaud the ICC decision to issue arrest warrants for Vladimir Putin and Maria Lvova-Belova over forcible transfer of Ukrainian children. International criminals will be held accountable for stealing children and other international crimes," Kuleba wrote on Twitter.
Wheels of Justice are turning: I applaud the ICC decision to issue arrest warrants for Vladimir Putin and Maria Lvova-Belova over forcible transfer of Ukrainian children. International criminals will be held accountable for stealing children and other international crimes.
— Dmytro Kuleba (@DmytroKuleba) March 17, 2023
Putin and Lvova-Belova are suspected of committing the war crime of illegal deportation of children from the occupied areas of Ukraine to the Russian Federation, which has been taking place since at least 24 February 2022.
The arrest warrants were issued based on motions filed by the Prosecutor's Office on 22 February 2023.
The day before, it was reported that the International Criminal Court is preparing to open two cases on Russian war crimes in Ukraine: in connection with the abduction of Ukrainian children and deliberate attacks by Russia against the civilian infrastructure of Ukraine.
These cases will represent the first international charges since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Earlier, The International Criminal Court (ICC) reportedly intended to open two war crime criminal cases connected with the Russian invasion of Ukraine: one about the kidnapping of Ukrainian children and the other about purposeful Russian attacks on civilian infrastructure facilities in Ukraine.
These cases will represent the first international indictments since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.