The arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for Vladimir Putin is likely to be taken by the Kremlin as evidence that the West wants to remove the current leader from the Kremlin, writes journalist Andrew Roth in an analysis of The Guardian.

While it is unlikely that Putin will appear before the Hague Tribunal in the short term, Russia will likely use the ICC ruling to raise the stakes of the war domestically, and to argue when it wants that any talks are just a smokescreen. for the ultimate goal of overthrowing Putin.

Supporters of the invasion of Ukraine present the court decision as a sign of the West’s antagonism towards Russia.

“The West is showing that it is ready to go all the way,” said Vladlen Tatarskyi, one of the most famous Russian military bloggers. “They are betting on creating a split within Russia that wants to remove Putin.”

“But we are the ones who are ready to go all the way with our president to victory, whatever it may be [victorie]. No matter how much it costs. Because now there is no way back. Don’t forget that.”

State Duma President Vyacheslav Volodin has already written in Telegram: “Yankees, hands off Putin!”

“Washington and Brussels have exhausted all possible sanctions and unfriendly actions,” he said, adding that “they failed to destroy the citizens of the Russian Federation or destroy the economy of our country.”

“Washington and Brussels now understand: if there is Putin, then there is Russia,” he continued. “That’s how they attack him. Putin’s strength lies in supporting people and strengthening the society around him.”

“We regard any attack on the President of Russia as aggression against our country,” he said.

Thus, little attention will be paid to the reason for the sentence: the forced removal of Ukrainian children to Russia.

Maria Lvova-Belova, the Russian commissioner for children’s rights, who already proudly said that “it is wonderful that the international community has highly appreciated this work to help the children of our country.”

Hundreds of Ukrainian children have been taken from orphanages and orphanages and taken to Russia, the International Criminal Court’s chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, said Friday, after the ICC issued arrest warrants for President Vladimir Putin and Maria Lvova-Belova, Russia’s commissioner for citizens’ rights. . baby.

“Many of these children, as we claim, were given up for adoption in the Russian Federation,” he added.

Khan noted that changes in Russian legislation made it easier for Russian families to adopt children, while at the time of deportation, Ukrainian children were protected persons under the Fourth Geneva Convention.

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