Opinion

What are the allegations, what are the implications, what are the chances of the warrant ever being served and acted upon?

It is a big surprise for me to hear about this but I was kind of thinking that sooner or later some of these kinds of actions would take place. The question in my mind is, “What good will issuing arrest warrants for somebody like Putin going to do and how would such a thing ever be enforced?”

The International Crime Commission has issued a warrant for the arrest of Vladimir Putin, marking an important and rare development in the global campaign against war crimes. It would require all 123 member states of this court to arrest and transport Putin should he ever set foot on their territory.

The Importance of This Information

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has jurisdiction over the conflict in Ukraine, and President Putin is accused of engaging in crimes that amount to “war crimes” according to a statement from its pre-trial chamber. They noted there are reasonable grounds to believe Putin bears individual criminal responsibility for unlawful deportations and transfers from occupied areas of Ukraine to Russia as well as his failure to exercise control over civilian and military subordinates who committed them.

He also faces charges against Maria Lvova-Belova, his commissioner for children’s rights, who is accused of participating in an organized scheme that resulted in the alleged abduction of thousands of Ukrainian children.

Putin is the first Russian to be indicted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) since it began investigating potential crimes related to Ukraine’s invasion in March 2023.

Russia is not a member of the International Criminal Court and has declared its jurisdiction “null and void.” Yet Josep Borrell, European Union Foreign Policy Chief, called this decision an important victory for international justice and Ukraine’s people. He described it as a first step towards holding Russia accountable for its crimes and atrocities.

What Does This Warrant For Putin Really Mean?

Basically, I do not believe it means a damned significant thing but there is an article in “The Guardian” that tells a little more about it —

“…Because Russia does not recognise the court and does not extradite its citizens, it is highly unlikely that Putin or Lvova-Belova will be surrendered to the court’s jurisdiction anytime soon.

But the issuing of the warrant remains a highly significant moment for a number of reasons. It sends a signal to senior Russian officials – military and civilian – who may be vulnerable to prosecution either now or in the future and would further limit their ability to travel internationally, including to attend international forums…”

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/mar/17/icc-arrest-warrant-vladimir-putin-explainer

Of course, to demented minds and chronic aggressors, “Signals” mean nothing so like I said this warrant, in the long term, is an exercise in linguistics and semantics and really amounts to nothing at all except perhaps for helping to expose the glaring impotence of present-day International Justice.

Who Are The Member States Of The ICC?

I am not going to list all of the member nations of the ICC right here, right now, but you can get an idea of who they are if you will open and follow the information in the following link:

https://asp.icc-cpi.int/states-parties

I have no idea whether Putin would ever step foot in one of the countries charged with enforcement of the warrant against him and if he ever did step foot in one or more of them, the question arises, “How many of them would ignore his presence or would take steps to protect him from any kind of arrest?”

Some people might think this action by the ICC is something big, important and significant, but if it can never be enforced — except by a direct intervention from God or a lucky throw of some celestial dice, then what the hell good is it except as fodder for some agenda-driven person or persons who might gain advantage from being associated with it?

The news media think it is a big deal and they are making the most they can make of it while interest lasts …but I think it is all a big fart in a driving wind and will soon enough dissipate and disappear.

Putin, of course, will go on doing what Putin does best while thumbing his nose at the fools who think they can do something to stop him.