Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev is warning Thursday that any attempt to detain current Russiann President Vladimir Putin following an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) over his alleged actions in Ukraine would be a “declaration of war” against Moscow.
Medvedev made the comment as the ICC is pushing back against “threats” from him earlier this week, in which he suggested Russia could fire a hypersonic missile at its headquarters in The Hague, Netherlands.
“Let’s imagine — obviously this situation which will never be realized — but nevertheless let’s imagine that it was realized: The current head of the nuclear state went to a territory, say Germany, and was arrested,” Medvedev said in a video posted on Telegram, according to Reuters.
“What would that be? It would be a declaration of war on the Russian Federation,” he added.
“And in that case, all our assets — all our missiles et cetera — would fly to the Bundestag, to the Chancellor’s office,” Medvedev continued, referencing the German parliament.
Last week, the ICC accused Putin of personal responsibility for the abductions of children in Ukraine, saying in a statement that he is “allegedly responsible for the war crime of unlawful deportation of (children) and that of unlawful transfer of (children) from occupied areas of Ukraine to the Russian Federation.”
President Biden said Friday that the move to issue the arrest warrant was “justified” as Putin had “clearly committed war crimes.”
