Due to Putin's arrest warrant: Medvedev threatens "declaration of war"

Merkur Due to Putin's arrest warrant: Medvedev threatens "declaration of war" Konstantin Ochsenreiter • 5 hours • 2 minutes read Warning of consequences Medvedev warns of the consequences of a conflict with a nuclear power and threatens that those issuing the arrest warrant could be prosecuted. Moscow – On March 17, 2023, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin. On Wednesday, the deputy chairman of the Russian Security Council, Dmitry Medvedev, spoke out: He threatened consequences for Putin's arrest warrant – and brought Russian nuclear weapons into play. Arrest warrant is illegal: Medvedev threatens nuclear consequences The Russian news agency TASS quoted Medvedev as saying: Countries considering executing the arrest warrant against Vladimir Putin should be aware of the consequences of a conflict with a nuclear power. In 2023, the Federation of American Scientists assumed that Russia possessed more nuclear weapons than the United States – making it the world's largest nuclear power. The arrest warrant issued in 2023 stated that there was reasonable suspicion that Putin had illegally deported Ukrainian children to Russia. The court justified the publication of the arrest warrant by arguing that the crimes could still be ongoing. Public announcement could also help prevent the crimes from continuing. ICC ruling: Medvedev threatens those involved with arrests and countries with war The agency further quoted Medvedev as saying that the arrest warrant against is illegal and Russia is not a party to the court. "The very execution of such a decision can be considered a casus belli (Latin for "cause of war") against the countries involved in its adoption." Medvedev also held the individuals who issued the arrest warrant accountable. They "must and must be prosecuted by investigative and judicial authorities." The International Criminal Court is not recognized by some important states, such as the United States, Russia, and Israel. In the context of Putin's arrest warrant, the court's president, Piotr Hofmanski, commented. He explained to Tagesschau that the court can only issue an arrest warrant. Its execution must be carried out by the international community. The court's powers are far from ineffective, even against heads of state, as it demonstrated in 2008. At that time, it issued an arrest warrant against the incumbent president, Omar al-Bashir. The Sudanese president has since been overthrown. A Week for Medvedev: Suicidal Wishes, "Nazi" Insults, and Nuclear War Fantasies Finally, Medvedev addressed Russia's role in international relations. He addressed the international community in particular, which is being called upon to act by the International Criminal Court. Medvedev emphasized that the decision to execute the sentence must be made with the awareness that the sentence concerns the head of state of a nuclear-armed power and a permanent member of the UN Security Council. Russia has been a permanent member of the UN Security Council since the collapse of the Soviet Union and enjoys veto rights. This role has been repeatedly discussed since the beginning of the Ukraine war. Medvedev has repeatedly made his presence felt in recent days: He called Chancellor-elect Merz a "Nazi" for his Taurus remarks, and he threatened a former ice hockey professional in a Telegram post, saying: "We are waiting for the crazy Czech Hasek to commit suicide." The high-ranking Russian government official has been frequently criticized for this in the past. (ko)