A Ukrainian soldier in front of destroyed Russian tanks in Butsha, the city that early in the war became an example – and a symbol – of civilian suffering and atrocities committed during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Now the International Criminal Court (ICC) is planning the first formal charges against Russia for war crimes.
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13. mars 2023 14:48 – Updated March 13, 2023 3:27 p.m
The International Criminal Court is planning two war crimes cases and several arrest warrants against Russia in the wake of its invasion of Ukraine, sources say.
The two cases include accusations of abduction of Ukrainian children and targeted attacks against civilian infrastructure, write New York Times. The newspaper refers to former and current ICC officials with knowledge of the case. The sources are not authorized to comment publicly on the matters.
Reuters also has sources that provide similar information.
Abduction and retraining of children
These are the first formal international charges since the outbreak of war. They come after several months of efforts by special investigators.
Russia is accused of abducting Ukrainian children and young people and sending them to Russian re-education camps. In addition, the ICC therefore believes that Russia has deliberately attacked civilian infrastructure.
Before arrest warrants can be issued, chief prosecutor Karim Khan must present the charges to a panel of judges, who will decide whether the legal groundwork is good enough or whether more evidence is required before someone can be wanted.
Wants to arrest more Russians
It is not clear who the court plans to charge in the two cases. Prosecutors say they will not comment on details of ongoing investigations, but Reuters’ sources say they are requesting arrest warrants for several Russians. In that case, these will be the first arrest warrants from the ICC related to the war in Ukraine.
Some external sources and diplomats say it is possible that President Vladimir Putin will be charged. The ICC does not recognize immunity for heads of state in cases involving war crimes, genocide or crimes against humanity.
Russia has denied accusations of war crimes, but both Ukrainian and international investigators have gathered strong evidence of a series of atrocities committed since the war began.
