Ukraine Retaliates After Russia Puts Zelenskyy On 'Wanted List'

Ukraine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement on Saturday, denouncing the inclusion of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Russia's "wanted list" as a sign of "the desperation of the Russian state machine and propaganda."

The Ukrainian ministry's statement asserted that Moscow is resorting to desperate measures to attract attention and emphasized that unlike the unsubstantiated Russian claims, the International Criminal Court's warrant for the arrest of Russian leader Vladimir Putin on war crimes charges is legitimate and enforceable in 123 countries.

According to The Associated Press, both President Zelenskyy and his predecessor, Petro Poroshenko, appeared on the ministry's list of individuals wanted on unspecified criminal charges. Additionally, General Oleksandr Pavlyuk, the commander of Ukraine's ground forces, was included on the list.

Russia's wanted list also encompasses numerous officials and lawmakers from Ukraine and NATO countries. Notably, it includes Kaja Kallas, the prime minister of Estonia, a member of both NATO and the EU. Kallas has been a vocal advocate for bolstering military assistance to Kyiv and implementing stricter sanctions against Moscow.

It stated that the Ukrainian leader was wanted "under an article of the criminal code," without providing further details. There was no immediate comment from Russian officials on why Zelenskyy had been added to the list. Russian officials did not immediately clarify the allegations against any of the men.

Since the start of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Moscow has reportedly attempted to assassinate the Ukrainian president. This followed Russian President Vladimir Putin's call for the Ukrainian army to overthrow Zelenskyy.

Earlier, the International Criminal Court said it had issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Putin for war crimes because of his alleged involvement in the abductions of children from Ukraine.

The court said in a statement that Putin "is allegedly responsible for the war crime of unlawful deportation of population (children) and that of unlawful transfer of population (children) from occupied areas of Ukraine to the Russian Federation."

A UN-backed inquiry also highlighted Russian attacks against civilians in Ukraine, including reports of systematic torture and killing in occupied regions. These actions are considered potential war crimes and may constitute crimes against humanity.