Russia does not recognize ICC’s authority

Russia was not a party to the Rome Statute, so it does not recognize any decision made by the International Criminal Court (ICC), Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday.

 
The senior official commented this Wednesday on the arrest warrants issued by that organization against Sergei Kobylash, commander of Russia’s Long-Range Aviation, and Viktor Sokolov, commander of the Black Sea Fleet.

Peskov pointed out that “Moscow treats such decisions accordingly,” Sputnik news agency stressed.

“This is not the first decision of the ICC against Russia,” Peskov recalled.

Earlier, the ICC issued an arrest warrant for President Vladimir Putin and Children’s Rights Commissioner Maria Lvova-Belova over the Russian special operation in Ukraine.

Peskov, in turn, stressed that “several closed processes are underway” in the said court.

The ICC issued a press release announcing the issuance of arrest warrants for Kobylash and Sokolov.

The document states that both commanders are responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during the conflict in Ukraine.