Russia Rejects ICC Decision on Military Operation in Ukraine

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Thursday that Russia will not take into account the decision of the International Criminal Court (ICC) ordering the suspension of the special military operation for the defense of Donbass, demilitarization and denazification of Ukraine.

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In this regard, he specified that "strict compliance with the decision adopted by the ICC requires the consent and acceptance of the parties involved, Russia and Ukraine", but Moscow denied its participation in the hearings on the matter.

"No, we will not be able to take into account this decision, the international court has such a concept there, the consent of the parties. There can be no consent here, in this case, this is something we cannot take into account," Peskov pointed out.

The official's statement comes after the ICC ruled on Wednesday that Russia must “immediately suspend” the special military operation launched on February 24. 

On the other hand, the spokeswoman of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, said that the leaders of the United Nations (UN) Secretariat ignore the responsibility of the Ukrainian authorities for the current situation. 

The official commented that "we note with regret that António Guterres (UN Secretary General) is increasingly retreating from an impartial stance in relation to the events in Ukraine."

"There is no noticeable shelling by the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Nobody wants to see the civilians who were killed, who were wounded, they are not there. They are simply obscured from the field of information and, consequently, from consciousness," she communicated.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly reiterated that the aim of the special military operation is the demilitarization and denazification of Ukraine, not the occupation of the territory.