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DLNews International:

The International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant for warmonger Vladimir Putin! The court accuses the Kremlin ruler of being responsible for war crimes in Ukraine.

Specifically, the Criminal Court accuses Putin of kidnapping children from Ukraine to Russia. 

According to the Criminal Court, it had already issued the arrest warrant on February 22 but had kept it secret so far to give Russia no chance to cover up the crimes. However, as the crimes continued, it was recognized "that public awareness of the arrest warrants can help prevent further crimes," the court said.

Also charged: Putin's "Child Rights Commissioner," Maria Alekseyevna Lvova-Belova. She was instrumental in promoting the "re-education" of Ukrainian children in Russia and "adopted" a Ukrainian child herself.

How Putin can be held accountable for the war in Ukraine and the crimes committed there has long been discussed.

Will Putin be arrested now?

At least in theory, yes - as soon as he enters one of the 123 countries worldwide that recognize the court in The Hague: The contracting states have undertaken to extradite Putin to the court if possible. But Russia – like the USA and China – is not one of them.

In addition, states that do not WANT to arrest Putin can also invoke the immunity of heads of state under customary international law – such cases have already occurred in the past. That means: "So it depends on the political evaluation," says Heintschel von Heinegg. "But Putin will have to be careful."

A former head of the Defense Ministry's planning staff initially believes an arrest is unlikely. But he also says: The arrest warrant is an "important signal for the application of international law."

Will Putin be sentenced now?

No, he would first have to be transferred to The Hague. "There are no proceedings or judgments in absentia in The Hague," said an international law expert.

This means that as long as Putin and other Russian defendants have not been extradited, no proceedings can be opened against them, and no verdict can be passed.

Does Putin now also have to answer for attacking Ukraine?

No, at least not before the International Criminal Court.

For legal reasons, Putin cannot be held responsible before the International Criminal Court for planning and executing a war of aggression – the crime of aggression. Russia is not a party to the Court.

In other words, another way must be found to hold Putin accountable NOW for the war of aggression against Ukraine.

The idea: The establishment of a special tribunal, i.e., a criminal court convened especially for this purpose - the concrete form of such a tribunal is still being discussed.