International Criminal Court plans to open two cases against Russia

The New York Times reports that the International Criminal Court will request arrest warrants for several individuals. However, they are not expected to be issued in the near future.

The publication notes that these cases are the first to be brought by international prosecutors since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, following months of work by special investigative teams. In them, Russia is accused of abducting Ukrainian children and teenagers, who were then sent to Russian re-education camps, and of deliberately targeting Ukraine's civilian infrastructure.

It is emphasized that in order to obtain arrest warrants, Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan must present the charges to a panel of pre-trial judges. They, in turn, will decide whether the legal standards for issuing the warrants were met or whether investigators need to provide additional evidence.

The NYT writes that it is unclear who exactly the International Criminal Court plans to indict in each of the two cases. The publication's sources said that it is possible that Russian President Vladimir Putin will be indicted. This is due to the fact that the court does not recognize immunity for the head of state in cases related to war crimes, crimes against humanity or genocide.

However, the likelihood of this trial remains low. According to experts, the court cannot hear cases in absentia, and Russia is unlikely to extradite its officials.

When asked to confirm the requests for arrest warrants, the prosecutor's office replied that it does not publicly discuss details related to ongoing investigations.

The NYT reminds that in the past, judges of the International Criminal Court spent several months reviewing charges before issuing arrest warrants. However, the full-scale war in Ukraine, according to the newspaper, forces the court to act quickly.

• On March 4, the President of the European Parliament said that there will be no peace without bringing Putin to justice.

• On February 25, a symbolic tribunal in The Hague found Putin guilty of crimes committed in Ukraine.

• On March 7, it became known that the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry was working to strip the top Russian leadership of their immunity before the court.