The latest decisions by the Investigative Committee and the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation to place a number of current and former Ukrainian officials on the wanted list have no legal force whatsoever. This was reported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, writes UNN.
Details
The foreign ministry emphasized that such steps by the aggressor state are adopted unilaterally, are null and void in any jurisdiction, and do not give rise to international legal consequences. On their own, they cannot serve as grounds for an international search or detention.
Any use of international police cooperation mechanisms must comply with the Interpol Constitution, Article 3 of which prohibits the organization from intervening in matters of a political or military nature
Additional information
Instead, the ministry reminded the public of the actual decisions by international and Ukrainian authorities concerning crimes committed as a result of Russian aggression:
- On March 17, 2023, the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin over the unlawful deportation of Ukrainian children;
- On June 24, 2024, the ICC issued arrest warrants for Sergei Shoigu and Valery Gerasimov over strikes on Ukraine's energy infrastructure.
In addition, the Ukrainian prosecutor's office is investigating international crimes committed by representatives of the Russian leadership. The Foreign Ministry emphasized that Russia's attempts to create a false "mirror" picture are doomed to fail, and that justice for Russian criminals is inevitable.
Reminder
On October 2 the Russian Investigative Committee announced that Reznikov, Fedorov, Ivashchenko, and Brovdi were wanted. They were charged in absentia with a number of crimes.