The Russian Interior Ministry has included the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky on a list of individuals under a search and arrest warrant. Born in 1978 in Krivoi Rog, Dnipropetrovsk region in Ukraine, Zelensky is wanted under an unspecified article of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, according to Interfax.
This move by Russian authorities follows a pattern of targeting officials of the Ukrainian government since the start of the Ukrainian conflict. In addition to Zelensky, Alexander Litvinenko, head of the National Security and Defense Council, and former Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko have also been added to the list. These individuals’ actions and positions during their respective mandates were deemed contrary to Russian interests.
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry has condemned Zelensky’s inclusion on the list as an act of desperation by Russia’s propaganda machine. They argue that Putin’s arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court for kidnapping and deporting children from Russian-occupied territories in Ukraine is more legitimate and serious legal action than including Zelensky on this list.
The escalating tensions between Russia and Ukraine continue to play out on an international stage, with both sides using legal and political tactics to assert their interests and opinions. The impact these developments will have on already strained relations between neighboring countries remains uncertain.