The statement released by the Cour Pénale Internationale, or the International Criminal Court:
Today, 17 March 2023, Pre-Trial Chamber II of the International Criminal Court (“ICC” or “the Court”) issued warrants of arrest for two individuals in the context of the situation in Ukraine: Mr Vladimir
Vladimirovich Putin and Ms Maria Alekseyevna Lvova-Belova.Mr Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, born on 7 October 1952, President of the Russian Federation, is allegedly responsible for the war crime of unlawful deportation of population (children) and that of unlawful transfer of population (children) from occupied areas of Ukraine to the Russian Federation (under articles 8(2)(a)(vii) and 8(2)(b)(viii) of the Rome Statute). The crimes were allegedly committed in Ukrainian occupied territory at least from 24 February 2022. There are reasonable grounds to believe that Mr Putin bears individual criminal responsibility for the aforementioned crimes, (i) for having committed the acts directly, jointly with others and/or through others (article 25(3)(a) of the Rome Statute), and (ii) for his failure to exercise control properly over civilian and military subordinates who committed the acts, or allowed for their commission, and who were under his effective authority and control, pursuant to superior responsibility (article 28(b) of the Rome Statute).
Ms Maria Alekseyevna Lvova-Belova, born on 25 October 1984, Commissioner for Children’s Rights in the Office of the President of the Russian Federation, is allegedly responsible for the war crime of unlawful deportation of population (children) and that of unlawful transfer of population (children) from occupied areas of Ukraine to the Russian Federation (under articles 8(2)(a)(vii) and 8(2)(b)(viii) of the Rome Statute). The crimes were allegedly committed in Ukrainian occupied territory at least from 24 February 2022. There are reasonable grounds to believe that Ms Lvova-Belova bears individual criminal responsibility for the aforementioned crimes, for having committed the acts directly, jointly with others and/or through others (article 25(3)(a) of the Rome Statute).
Pre-Trial Chamber II considered, based on the Prosecution’s applications of 22 February 2023, that there are reasonable grounds to believe that each suspect bears responsibility for the war crime of unlawful deportation of population and that of unlawful transfer of population from occupied areas of Ukraine to the Russian Federation, in prejudice of Ukrainian children.
I'm still catching up on Russian literature, and so I'm embarrassed to say that I have just read Dostoevsky's The Brothers Karamozov, which I consider second in novelistic greatest to only Cervante's Don Quixote. In it, the devoutly Christian author makes a good deal of fuss over the concept of "theodicy," which entails the eternal religio-philosophical debate over evil in a just God's world. How can a "good" God permit such foul deeds to occur? Like Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, in The Brothers Karamozov as well as Crime and Punishment and many of his other works, seems to rather assume that one day, someday, Christian goodness will prevail and reign on Earth, all men will become brothers, and thus evil will forever be dispelled. {Dostoevsky's literary and political nemesis is godless socialism.)
The Russian novelist especially concentrates on evil against innocent children, such as Mr. Putin's despicable, inhuman actions in Ukraine.
Christian or not, we're still waiting for Dostoevsky's vision to materialize. The Vladimir Putins, however, would seem to always be with us, like the degenerate wolves among sheep they are.