The Power Within: The Kyiv Independent’s first-ever magazine. Be among the first to get it.

pre-order now
Skip to content
Edit post

Russian ex-president threatens missile strike against The Hague after Putin arrest warrant

by The Kyiv Independent news desk March 20, 2023 10:21 AM 2 min read
This audio is created with AI assistance

Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council, on March 20 threatened a missile strike against the International Criminal Court in the Netherlands after it issued an arrest warrant for Russian dictator Vladimir Putin.

"Everyone walks under God and missiles. It's quite possible to envision a scenario where a Russian ship stationed in the North Sea could strategically strike the Hague courthouse with a hypersonic Onyx (cruise) missile," Medvedev, who is also a former Russian president, wrote.

He went on to warn judges of the International Criminal Court to "look carefully at the sky."

Medvedev also used foul language to criticize the court, calling it "shitty" and saying that it "has shat itself."

Margarita Simonyan, chief editor of the Kremlin's English-language propaganda TV channel RT, also hinted earlier that Russia could strike a country that arrests Putin with missiles.

"I'd like to see a country that will arrest Putin to enforce the Hague court's decision," she wrote. "In about eight minutes. Or whatever the time it takes (a missile) to fly to its capital."

The International Criminal Court (ICC), which is located in the Hague, issued arrest warrants on March 17 for Putin and Maria Lvova-Belova, the Russian official overseeing the forced deportations of more than 16,000 Ukrainian children to Russia.

The ICC asserts that there are "reasonable grounds to believe" Putin holds direct accountability for supervising the deportations and that he neglected to exert authority over Russian soldiers and civilians executing the crime across occupied Ukrainian regions from the onset of Russia's all-out war against Ukraine.

Russia is not a party to the ICC treaty, having withdrawn in 2016 following its criticism of the illegal annexation of Crimea. This means that Putin can only be arrested in one of the 123 countries that follow it.

However, as President Volodymyr Zelensky acknowledged on March 19, the arrest warrant signaled a "turning point" for Russia.

“(Russia will face) responsibility for every strike on Ukraine, for every destroyed life, for every deported Ukrainian child,” Zelensky said. “The evil state will be held accountable for every act of terror against Ukrainians," he added.

BREAKING: ICC issues arrest warrants for Putin, Russian official tied to kidnapping of Ukrainian children

News Feed

5:14 PM

Lithuanian FM on Europe's role in ending Russia's war.

The Kyiv Independent’s Francis Farrell sat down with Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys during his visit to Kyiv on April 1 to discuss the future of Europe during U.S. President Donald Trump's administration, whether European sanctions remain an effective instrument to stop Russia’s war against Ukraine, and Lithuania's contribution to the "coalition of the willing."
2:30 PM

Russian Railways hit by major cyberattack.

The state-owned Russian railway operator described the incident as a "massive DDoS (distributed denial-of-service) attack," saying that efforts to restore operations are underway.
11:07 AM

Rubio to discuss Ukraine, NATO in Brussels this week.

"In Brussels, Secretary Rubio will attend the NATO Foreign Ministers Meeting to discuss security priorities for the Alliance, including increased Allied defense investment and securing lasting peace in Ukraine," State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said in a statement.
MORE NEWS

Editors' Picks

Enter your email to subscribe
Please, enter correct email address
Subscribe
* indicates required
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required

Subscribe

* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Explaining Ukraine with Kate Tsurkan
* indicates required
Successfuly subscribed
Thank you for signing up for this newsletter. We’ve sent you a confirmation email.