Arrest warrant against Putin: Appeal to Mongolia

The human rights organization Human Rights Watch has called on Mongolia to arrest Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin during his visit. “Mongolia would be violating its international obligations as a member of the International Criminal Court if it allowed Russian President Vladimir Putin to visit without arresting him,” said Maria Elena Vignoli of the International Justice Division at Human Rights Watch, according to a statement.

According to the Kremlin, Putin arrived in the capital Ulan Bator in the evening (local time). A meeting with Mongolian President Uchnaagiin Khürelsüch is planned for Tuesday. Putin is travelling to the country at the invitation of the president in order to build up cooperation with the neighbours – despite an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court for alleged war crimes in Ukraine.

Mongolia recognizes the criminal court and should actually arrest Putin during his stay in Ulan Bator. However, Moscow is relaxed about this and does not see any danger for Putin due to the friendly relations between the two countries, as Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov explained. It is Putin’s first trip to a country that is a member of the court in The Hague since the start of his war of aggression against Ukraine.

Ukraine criticizes Mongolia

Ukraine has criticized the government of Mongolia for receiving Putin and demanded consequences for the country. Mongolia helped Putin, who is wanted on suspicion of war crimes in Ukraine, to escape criminal justice, Foreign Ministry spokesman Heorhij Tychyj said in Kiev. The country is thus making itself partly responsible for Putin’s “war crimes.”

“We will work with our partners to ensure that this has consequences for Ulan Bator,” Tychyj said. “The Mongolian government’s failure to execute the International Criminal Court’s binding arrest warrant against Putin is a serious blow to the International Criminal Court and the international criminal justice system,” the Foreign Ministry spokesman said on X.

Mongolia has sought to maintain a balanced relationship with its powerful neighbors China and Russia, as well as with the West. Because Mongolia is also dependent on Russia, it is considered unlikely that the country would jeopardize relations by arresting Putin.

ICC in The Hague: “Serious offence”

The ICC, based in The Hague, has been prosecuting particularly serious offenses such as war crimes since 2002. It began investigations immediately after the start of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine in February 2022. In March 2023, the ICC issued an arrest warrant against Putin personally for alleged war crimes in Ukraine. This reason is the “illegal deportation” of Russian children to Russia. The International Criminal Court itself has no means of executing arrest warrants. But all states parties to the court are obliged to arrest those wanted and hand them over to the court if they are on their territory.