President Vladimir Putin signed legislation Monday relieving Russia of any obligation to enforce criminal rulings issued by foreign courts or international judicial bodies to which it does not belong.
The legislation, which amends Russia’s constitution, sends a clear signal that Moscow does not plan to comply with any future rulings from a tribunal on the war in Ukraine that would seek to prosecute Russian officials, including Putin.
In March 2023, the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Putin, accusing him and his children’s rights commissioner of bearing responsibility for the alleged deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia.
Russia, which never ratified its signature to the Rome Statute that established the ICC, rejected the allegations against Putin. It later withdrew its signature from the Rome Statute.
Under the new amendment signed on Monday, Russian courts are no longer required to recognize criminal rulings issued by foreign courts if Russia was not a party to the proceedings. Likewise, they do not need to uphold decisions by international judicial bodies whose jurisdiction is not based on a treaty Russia has joined or a United Nations Security Council resolution.
Ukrainian and European officials have said they aim to prosecute Russian and Belarusian officials for alleged war crimes committed during the invasion of Ukraine.
In June, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Council of Europe Secretary General Alain Berset signed an agreement to establish a special tribunal for that purpose.
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