Russia’s Medvedev declares ICC warrant on Putin illegal, warns of "casus belli"

Deputy Chairman of Russia’s Security Council, Dmitry Medvedev, has stated that the International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant against President Vladimir Putin is illegal and warned that any country attempting to enforce it should be prepared for the consequences of confronting a nuclear power.

In an article published in the first 2025 issue of Pravovedenie, a journal of Saint Petersburg State University, Medvedev asserted that the enforcement of the ICC’s warrant against the Russian head of state, who represents a nation not party to the court's statute, would be regarded as a "casus belli" —a formal cause for war, Caliber.Az reports, citing Russian media.

"I have previously written about the consequences of enforcing an illegal ICC decision against a head of state not party to the court. Such enforcement can be considered a casus belli against countries involved in its execution," Medvedev wrote. "It goes without saying how dangerous such actions are when they target the leadership of a nuclear power and a permanent member of the UN Security Council."

He further stated that those responsible for issuing the warrant should themselves "be pursued by the investigative and judicial authorities of the country whose leadership is being unlawfully prosecuted."

The International Criminal Court (ICC), based in The Hague, issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin in March 2023, accusing him of responsibility for war crimes related to the deportation of Ukrainian children during Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine. The warrant also named Maria Lvova-Belova, Russia’s Commissioner for Children’s Rights, for her alleged role in the same actions.

The move marked a historic moment, as it was the first time the ICC had issued a warrant for the leader of a permanent member of the UN Security Council. The court's decision was met with strong condemnation from Moscow, which does not recognise the ICC’s jurisdiction. Russia withdrew from the court's founding treaty, the Rome Statute, in 2016 after its annexation of Crimea was labelled an occupation.

Moscow dismissed the warrant as a politically driven decision aimed at undermining Russian sovereignty.

By Khagan Isayev