The Russian Interior Ministry is searching for and has issued an arrest warrant for the president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky. Zelensky, born in 1978 in the city of Krivoi Rog, Dnipropetrovsk region in Ukraine, is wanted under an unspecified article of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. This decision is part of the ongoing trend by Russian authorities to target officials of the Ukrainian government in relation to the Ukrainian war. In addition to Zelensky, former president Petro Poroshenko and Ground Forces commander Alexander Pavlyuk have also been included on the list.
In response to Zelensky’s inclusion on the list, Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry has criticized it as an act of desperation by Russia’s state propaganda machine. They highlight the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant against Vladimir Putin for crimes in Ukraine, calling attention to the seriousness of the ICC’s actions compared to Russia’s announcements.
The Russian Interior Ministry’s actions have sparked tension between the two countries, with Ukraine condemning the targeting of its officials by Russia. Despite these developments, Ukraine remains focused on the legal actions taken against Putin by the ICC, emphasizing the gravity of the charges against him in contrast to the warrant issued for Zelensky.