Dmitry Medvedev, the Kremlin’s warmonger, has made it clear that anyone who tries to arrest President Vladimir Putin, can expect to feel the wrath of nuclear Russia, including “all our weapons”. Apparently known for his loud saber rattling, Medvedev sounds ready to blow up the planet to sound tough and be credited with sending a lethally threatening message across the globe. The Kremlin had better keep a tight leash on him and not hand him any nuclear codes.
This week, the announcement of the International Criminal Court (ICC) stating that they had issued an arrest warrant for President Vladimir Putin, has clearly riled Russia. Former Russian president turned National Security Council warmonger, Medvedev, has moved on to threatening to bomb any country that would fulfil its treaty obligations to serve the warrant. This of course, was after threatening to bomb the ICC itself, which apparently failed to produce the elicited hoped-for response.
Following the comments made by the German government, that if Putin visited their country, they would be obliged to arrest him, Medvedev exploded at a press event, claiming-
“let’s imagine that it has happened. The incumbent head of a nuclear country arrives in, say, Germany and is arrested. What does it mean? A declaration of war against Russia. In such a case, all our weapons will target the Bundestag, the [German] Chancellor’s office and so on”.
-Dmitry Medvedev, Russian National Security Council
Medvedev went on to clearly state that there would be a high price for arresting Vladimir Putin. He said the action would be-
“a casus belli, or a declaration of war” against Russia itself. [He cited Russia’s nuclear arsenal, boasting of its ongoing existence, as a nation-state, remarking] “Thank God… we have parity and even superiority in strategic nuclear forces… because otherwise we would have been torn apart”.
-Dmitry Medvedev, Russian National Security Council
Threatening to bomb the Netherlands for hosting the ICC, and any country that would try to serve the warrant, Russia is taking a volatile and extreme position. However, it is not much different from the threats made by the United States, in the past, against that same court.
Known as the ‘Hague Invasion Act’, passed in 2002, the law empowers the President to use any means necessary to release U.S. citizens imprisoned by the ICC. This includes invading the Hague, which is the administrative capital of NATO member the Netherlands.
At present, key parties to the Ukraine War including Russia, Ukraine, and the United States of America do not fully recognize the ICC, however many European nations are signatories of the founding treaties to the ICC. Legally obliged to execute arrest warrants, is South Africa, who is a signatory to the ICC. They have however, reportedly ignored this before, arguing that visiting heads of state, have diplomatic immunity, even though they have outstanding ICC warrants against them.
In the near term, it is unlikely Vladimir Putin will find himself in Germany, or any other European Union nation. He is however scheduled to visit South Africa for the BRICS summit in August. Whether the South Africans ignore the warrant, remains to be seen.
“A constructive approach to diplomacy doesn't mean relinquishing one's rights. It means engaging with one's counterparts, on the basis of equal footing and mutual respect, to address shared concerns and achieve shared objectives”
-Hassan Rouhani