With full honors

War criminal Putin received in Mongolia

Vladimir Putin strides off the guard of honor with Mongolian President Uchnaagiin Chüreslsüch.

(Bild: AFP/Laurent Fievet)

Vladimir Putin, the ruler of Russia and a war criminal wanted worldwide, was received with full honors by head of state Uchnaagiin Chüreslsüch in Mongolia on Tuesday despite an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC). 

The hosts deployed soldiers in traditional uniforms and on horseback in the central square of the capital Ulan Bator. It is Putin's first visit to an ICC member state since the arrest warrant against him was issued in March 2023.

Mongolia signed the Rome Statute of the ICC in 2000 and ratified it in 2002. The basis of the court provides for states parties to arrest suspects who are the subject of an ICC arrest warrant. In the run-up to the trip, the Kremlin had announced that Putin was "not worried" about a possible arrest in Mongolia.

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Pompous reception ceremony for Putin
Putin landed in Ulan Bator on Monday evening. After the pompous official reception ceremony, he planned to attend the celebrations to mark the 85th anniversary of the victory of the Soviet and Mongolian armed forces over Japan on Tuesday.

International arrest warrant since March 2023
The ICC issued an arrest warrant for Putin in March 2023. At the time, the court stated that there were "reasonable grounds to believe" that the Russian ruler "bears responsibility for the war crime of unlawful deportation" of Ukrainian children to Russia. The government in Kiev accuses the Russian authorities of taking thousands of children from orphanages and other state institutions in the Ukrainian territories under its control to Russia.

In total, ICC arrest warrants have been issued against top Russian officials in connection with the war in Ukraine, including Sergei Shoigu, who has since resigned as Defense Minister, and Valery Gerasimov, Chief of the General Staff.