Recent developments in the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine have escalated further with the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs issuing a warrant for the arrest of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The news, reported by the Russian state news agency, has sparked international attention and concern.
The warrant, citing Zelenskyy’s full name and date of birth, has been issued under a specific article of the Criminal Code, although the exact details of the charges have not been disclosed. The database also reveals Zelenskyy’s birthplace as Kryvyi Rih in the Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, accompanied by a pre-war photograph of the Ukrainian leader.
In a further escalation, Russia has also issued a warrant for Valerii Zaluzhnyi, the former Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. This move indicates a heightened state of tension between the two neighboring countries.
This latest development comes in the wake of Russia issuing warrants for several other prominent Ukrainian political figures, including Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Oleksiy Danilov, former Minister of Justice Pavlo Petrenko, former Security Service chief Valentyn Nalyvaichenko, former Finance Minister Oleksandr Shlapak, and former National Bank head Stepan Kubiv.
It is noteworthy to mention that the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague had previously issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin in March of the previous year. The warrant was based on suspicions of Putin’s involvement in the unlawful deportations of children and the illegal transfer of people from Ukrainian territories to the Russian Federation.