Russian President Vladimir Putin to Fly to Mongolia. Should Be Arrested There

The Kremlin's statement states that Vladimir Putin is flying to Mongolia at the invitation of local President Ukhnaagiin Khurelsuk. The Russian leader is scheduled to take part in events dedicated to the 85th anniversary of the joint victory of the Soviet and Mongolian armed forces over the Japanese army on the Khalkhin Gol River.

“During the talks, the heads of state will discuss the prospects for further development of Russian-Mongolian relations and exchange views on current international and regional issues,” the Russian presidential service reported.

“Putin's visit to Mongolia will be his first in a country that should arrest him under a warrant issued in 2023 by the International Criminal Court in The Hague,” the independent Russian-language website The Moscow Times commented on the event. It recalled that in 2002, Mongolia ratified the Rome Statute, and in 2023, a representative of this country was elected as a judge of the ICC for a two-year term.

In March 2023 International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for the President of Russia. The judges agreed with the prosecutor's request, finding that there are real grounds to believe that Vladimir Putin is responsible for war crimes consisting in the illegal deportation of children from occupied territories Ukraine down Russia. In the same decision, the ICC also issued an arrest warrant for the Russian Commissioner for Children’s Rights, Maria Lvova-Belova, who is accused of the same crimes.