ICC’s arrest warrant for Putin came as "major surprise" for Kremlin – Meduza

Meduza writes about this, citing sources close to the Russian presidential administration.

The publication's sources said that the Kremlin perceived the ICC warrant as "the most unexpected step by the West."

According to Meduza, in the leadup to Russia’s 2024 presidential election, the Kremlin planned to promote Putin's image as a "fighter against the West," "defender of Latin America and Africa from colonial oppression," and "one of the main leaders of the multipolar world."

However, this requires foreign visits, and after the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant, Putin may be detained in 123 countries.

According to the newspaper's sources, even some CIS countries have now become a risk zone for Vladimir Putin, as Tajikistan has ratified the Rome Statute.

"Even the CIS is no longer a safe space," the source said.

In addition, the Russian propaganda machine uses Putin's travels to demonstrate that Russia has more friends than enemies.

“The restrictions on foreign visits will work in the opposite direction. Before the warrant, [Putin’s] trips abroad were combined with foreign leaders’ trips to Moscow. Now, it won’t be possible to keep having meetings with the same frequency — you can’t constantly invite everybody to come to you,” one source said.

• On March 17, the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin and Russian Children's Rights Commissioner Maria Lvova-Belova for the illegal deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia.