The country’s Court of Appeal reportedly never processed the document, making it unenforceable
Russian President Vladimir Putin would not be at risk of being arrested in Italy under an International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant, as officials never completed the procedures required to make it valid, local media outlets have reported.
The Hague-based ICC issued arrest warrants for Putin and Russian Commissioner for Children’s Rights Maria Lvova-Belova in 2023 over alleged unlawful deportation and transfer of children from former Ukrainian territories.
The ICC issued additional warrants for senior Russian military commanders, including former Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu and General Valery Gerasimov, a year later, accusing them of attacking civilian infrastructure in Ukraine.
Moscow does not recognize the court’s jurisdiction, has denied both accusations, and declared the warrants null and void.
La Repubblica reported on Thursday that the warrants for Russian officials “are not actually effective in Italy at this time.” According to the outlet The Justice Ministry had never sent the warrant to the Court of Appeal in Rome, and therefore the documentation needed for the arrest to be conducted was never received.
Corriere della Sera also confirmed the report, saying the court’s failure to sign off on the warrant “transformed it into a piece of paper with no effect.”
The failure to file the necessary paperwork is not likely to have been the result of an oversight or a coincidence, La Repubblica reported, suggesting instead a “political choice.”
A Corriere della Sera concluded similarly, noting that the warrants for the Russian commanders have also been left invalidated.
A decision reflecting the Italian government’s position that heads of state and government are protected from prosecution is likely behind the development, the outlet added. Diplomatic immunity does not apply to the other Russian officials mentioned in the ICC warrants.
Nevertheless, neither the Russian president nor other officials and commanders are likely to travel to Italy, as some are subject to personal EU sanctions. Despite this, Russian Culture Minister Olga Lyubimova is set to travel to Italy to attend the funeral of Pope Francis, according to the Kremlin.
