The International Criminal Court will open two cases against Russian officials for war crimes in Ukraine

The International Criminal Court (ICC) plans to seek the arrest of Russian officials For forcible deportation of children from Ukraine and attacks on civilian infrastructureAs confirmed by news agencies this Monday PA And ReutersWhat would be the first cases of international war crimes stemming from invading troops Vladimir Putin to a neighboring country.

An arrest warrant has been issued, the source said May include the crime of genocideAnd they are expected to arrive “shortly,” according to the Attorney General’s request. Karim KhanApproved by the trial judge of the court in The Hague.

Moscow would certainly reject an arrest warrant against any of its officials. But an international trial for war crimes could worsen Moscow’s diplomatic isolation and make it harder for defendants to travel abroad.

Russia has denied any deliberate attack on civilian infrastructure in Ukraine and says its attacks are aimed at reducing Kyiv’s fighting capabilities. He does not hide a project that brought thousands of Ukrainian children to Russia, but presents it as a humanitarian campaign to protect orphans and abandoned children in the conflict zone.

kyiv says thousands of exiled Ukrainian children are being adopted by Russian families, housed in Russian camps and orphanages, given Russian passports and educated. Reject Ukrainian nationality and consider themselves Russians.

The UN Convention on Genocide defines the “forcible transfer of children from one group to another” as one of five acts that can be prosecuted as genocide. Asked if the ICC charges against Russian officials would include genocide, the source replied: “It seems so.”

The Hague-based ICC opened an investigation into alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Ukraine on February 24, 2022, days after the Russian invasion.

Wakil Khan said this earlier this month, following a visit to Ukraine Alleged child abductions are “investigated by my office on a priority basis.”

Neither Russia nor Ukraine are members of the ICC, but the Kiev government accepts the court’s jurisdiction and cooperates with Khan’s office.

NGO Human Rights Watch (HRW), who specializes in monitoring the international humanitarian situation, warned “Destructive” consequences of War in Ukraine for that Children populationEspecially for children trained in Ukrainian state institutions in areas annexed by Russia during the invasion, as a result Forced deportation To the Russian territory of minors.

According to statistics collected by a Ukrainian government NGO, shortly before the Russian invasion there were approx. 105,000 children in Ukrainian residential institutions, almost half of whom are disabled according to the UN. After the invasion, there were about a hundred of these institutions 32,000 minorsCompleted in whole or in part under Russian control.

In short, “Ukrainian activists and lawyers at least mention it Several thousand of them have been deported by force to Russia or other territories occupied by it”.

On the ground, both sides described relentless fighting in and around Bakhmut, a small, desolate town in eastern Ukraine that has become a key focus of Russia’s winter campaign.

Near Kreminna, north of Baghmut, Ukrainian soldiers claimed to be repulsing intense attacks by increasingly professional soldiers, while the Russians brought heavy equipment closer to the front line.

As fighting in eastern Ukraine escalates, Moscow appears on the brink of a long-awaited diplomatic breakthrough: multiple sources told the agency Reuters The Chinese president said Xi JinpingMay go to Russia next week, an old call will be answered sooner than expected.

Putin billed the visit as a show of support, but it may be overshadowed by Xi’s plans to speak via video link with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for the first time since the invasion.

Plans for talks between Zelensky and Xi were reported Wall Street Journal And Reuters He could not immediately confirm them.

China’s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The Kremlin said it had nothing to announce yet. The office of the President of Ukraine did not immediately respond.

“As a rule, announcements of official visits abroad are synchronized by mutual agreement of the parties,” a Kremlin spokesman told reporters. Dmitry Peskov. “When there is such an arrangement, we will let you know.”

(With information from Reuters and AFP)

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