ICC chief does not rule out new arrest warrants for Putin, including for Wagner crimes

This was stated by ICC President Piotr Hofmanski in a commentary to Voice of America.

According to Hofmanski, new arrest warrants depend primarily on the actions of the International Criminal Court prosecutor.

“He (the ICC prosecutor – ed.) can request an arrest warrant from the ICC pre-trial judges, who will decide whether there are grounds for issuing future arrest warrants. But certainly the prosecutor has made it clear that he is actively pursuing new investigations in Ukraine, as well as in other countries, and we expect more action in this regard,” the statement said.

The case of the deportation of children is not the only case being investigated by the ICC. And it could lead to new arrest warrants for Putin and Russia's top leadership.

According to the ICC chief, one of the reasons for the new arrest warrants may be the war crimes case against the Wagner PMC. The status of this group in terms of the law in Russia is still uncertain.

One of the proofs of direct ties between the Russian authorities and the Wagner PMC militants was recently provided by Putin himself. He admitted that Moscow fully financed the mercenaries from May 2022 to May 2023, spending about $1 billion from the budget on them.

According to international law experts, Putin's statement will make it easier for international courts to prosecute the Russian leadership for crimes committed by the Wagner mercenaries.

On March 17, the International Criminal Court in The Hague issued an arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin. The ICC's decision is related to the war crimes of Putin and Lvova-Belova. They are suspected of illegal deportation of the Ukrainian population, including children.