Vladimir Putin Visits Crimea One Day After ICC Issues Arrest Warrant for War Crimes Allegations

On Saturday, Russian President Vladimir Putin traveled to Crimea to mark the ninth anniversary of the Black Sea peninsula’s annexation from Ukraine, one day after the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for the Russian leader accusing him of war crimes. The ICC accused Putin of bearing personal responsibility for the abductions of children from Ukraine during Russia’s full-scale invasion of the neighboring country that began almost 13 months ago.

Former U.S. officials and war crimes prosecutors said the warrant will severely limit Putin’s ability to travel outside Russia. Todd Buchwald, who served as special coordinator for the State Department’s Office of Global Criminal Justice in the Obama and Trump administrations, said “the result of this is he’s not going to travel any place he thinks he might get arrested.”

In response to the court’s action, Russian state news agency RIA Novosti reported that Putin visited an art school and a children’s center during his trip to Crimea. The locations appear to have been chosen to emphasize the court’s accusation that Putin was responsible for the abduction of children from Ukraine.

The arrest warrant issued by the ICC is unlikely to lead to Putin’s arrest, as Russia is not a member of the court and is not obligated to comply with its rulings. However, the warrant does lock in Putin’s status as an international pariah and will likely restrict his ability to travel outside of Russia.