Vladimir Putin to be Arrested Soon?

The ICC accused President Putin of committing war crimes in Ukraine - something President Biden said the Russian leader had "clearly" done.

As you all know the war between Ukraine and Russia continues. The International Criminal Court in The Hague prosecutes those accused of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. The ICC accused President Putin of committing war crimes in Ukraine. The claims focus on the unlawful deportation of children from Ukraine to Russia since Moscow's invasion in 2022. The court also issued a warrant for Maria Lvova-Belova, Russia’s commissioner for children’s rights, who has been the public face of  Kremlin-sponsored program in which Ukrainian children and teenagers have been taken to Russia. Moscow has denied the allegations and denounced the warrants as "outrageous". It is highly unlikely that much will come of the move, as the ICC has no powers to arrest suspects without the co-operation of a country's government. Russia is not an ICC member country, meaning the court, located in The Hague, has no authority there. However, it could affect Mr Putin in other ways, such as being unable to travel internationally. He could now be arrested if he sets foot in any of the court's 123 member states. India is not a member of the ICC and the US is also not a member.

Mr Putin is only the third president to be issued with an ICC arrest warrant. Analysts added that under the circumstances, the ICC warrant against the Russian president could only be a propaganda point among the western countries to highlight alleged atrocities committed by Russian soldiers in Ukraine. But as the war has already polarised countries around the world, it is unlikely that the warrant against Putin will put additional international pressure on the Russian president. US President Joe Biden has supported the ICC in the decision but many are calling him a hypocrite. However many people have said that, ‘“The US applauds the ICC when it charges Russia with war crimes and excoriates the same body when it starts looking into whether America committed war crimes in Afghanistan and Israel against besieged Palestinians.” 

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