Ukraine War: International Criminal Court Judge Issues Arrest Warrant Against Russian President Vladimir Putin for War Crimes

On March 17, 2023, the Pre-Trial Chamber II of the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant against Russian President Vladmir Putin and Maria Alekseyevna Lvova-Belova, for their alleged involvement in committing war crimes in the context of the Ukraine War. [1] The ICC’s decision came in the backdrop of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, and subsequent decision of ICC’s prosecutor to proceed with a formal investigation into the allegations of international crimes committed in the Ukraine war. [2] The decision to indict President Putin is not the first time issuing an arrest warrant against a sitting head of State. Previously in 2009, the ICC had similarly issued an arrest warrant against then Sudanese President Omar Hassan Ahmad al-Bashir for alleged commission of crime against humanity and genocide in Darfur region of Sudan. [3]