It sure seems like justice was taking its time after Russia, at the direction of Vladimir Putin, invaded Ukraine, a sovereign country, then proceeded to bomb apartment buildings and hospitals. Russian military members looted and raped women and children. Another appalling war crime Russia committed was the abduction and deportation of Ukrainian children. They stole Ukrainian children.
Via Associated Press:
The International Criminal Court said on Friday it issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin for war crimes because of his alleged involvement in abductions of children from Ukraine.
The court said in a statement that Putin “is allegedly responsible for the war crime of unlawful deportation of (children) and that of unlawful transfer of (children) from occupied areas of Ukraine to the Russian Federation.”
It also issued a warrant Friday for the arrest of Maria Alekseyevna Lvova-Belova, the Commissioner for Children’s Rights in the Office of the President of the Russian Federation, on similar allegations.
The move was immediately dismissed by Moscow and welcomed by Ukraine as a major breakthrough. Its practical implications, though, could well be negligible.
Even if the court has court has indicted world leaders before, it was the first time it issued a warrant against one of the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council.
Russia’s foreign ministry responded to the arrest warrants, according to CBS, with a statement saying, “The decisions of the International Criminal Court have no meaning for our country, including from a legal point of view. Russia is not a party to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court and bears no obligations under it.”
Sure thing, Russia, but this would make Putin an international fugitive. This comes at an interesting time since former President Donald Trump defended Russia on Thursday, dismissing the country’s invasion of Ukraine by saying they aren’t a threat. He said Americans are the threat.
Update:
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Author: Conover Kennard
