The Russian government does not recognize the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Tuesday, according to state news agency TASS.
“We do not recognize this court, we do not recognize the jurisdiction of this court. This is how we treat this,” Peskov said as quoted by TASS.
The ICC is planning to open two war crimes cases tied to the Russian invasion of Ukraine and issue arrest warrants against “several people,” according to the New York Times (NYT) and Reuters, citing current and former officials with knowledge of the decision who were not authorized to speak publicly.
According to the NYT, the cases would represent the first international charges to be brought since the start of Russia’s war and come after months of work by special ICC investigation teams.
The first case the ICC is set to open is about Russia’s alleged abduction of Ukrainian children. The second is on Russia’s “unrelentingly” targeting civilian infrastructure, including water supplies and gas tanks, according to the NYT.
What is the ICC? The ICC is the “court of last resort” and is located in The Hague, Netherlands.
It tries four types of crimes: genocide, crimes against humanity, crimes of aggression and war crimes.
Russia withdrew from the ICC treaty under a directive signed by President Vladimir Putin in 2016.
Currently, 137 states are signatories to the treaty that created the court, but only 123 are considered parties to the treaty.
The United States is a signatory to the treaty, but not a party.