Vladimir Putin: Russian citizens promise 'we will protect him' amid arrest warrant

The former US ambassador to Russia, Michael McFaul, has predicted how the arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) on Friday 17 March will impact Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Vladimir Putin 'will be haunted for the rest of his life'

McFaul wrote on Twitter on Saturday 18 March that 'Putin will be 'haunt(ed) for the rest of his life by warrant' alongside his interview on Friday with NBC News host Chuck Todd on Meet The Press.

Todd said during the interview with McFaul that it is not likely Putin will face charges while he remains in power. While McFaul agreed that Putin will not be arrested anytime soon, he called the ICC's move 'symbolic'. He said:

We want to talk about those crimes that he committed. We want to document them and we want to deter others from possibly participating in the future. I think that's the most important thing

People might think twice. Russians might think twice about committing similar crimes in Ukraine, knowing that they...went after Putin, they can go after you to Mr. Soldier. So I think that's a good thing.

McFaul continued:

This is going to haunt him [Putin] for the rest of his life. He is going to be indicted by them for the rest of his life. He's gonna have to think about where he travels for the rest of his life. And in other cases, I'm thinking of [Slobodan] Milošević when he was initially indicted for crimes against humanity, he laughed it off, [as if it was] no big deal. It became a big deal after he was overthrown and then [he was] eventually arrested.

Vladimir Putin will 'have to choose' between Iran and Belarus

Igor Lukes, a Boston University professor focusing on Eastern European politics and contemporary Russia, agreed with other commentators that the move will further isolate the Russian President.

He told Newsweek on Saturday:

This is good news. No matter how self-evident it may appear, it is nevertheless helpful when a respected legal authority spells it out

The warrant is of great importance. It isolates Putin significantly. If he gets the urge to travel, he will have to choose between scenic Iran and welcoming Belarus. Should he step onto the territory of any of the 123 countries that honor the ICC's ruling, he might get himself arrested.

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Russians respond to arrest warrant

It comes as Putin's 'mouthpiece', Margarita Simonyan,editor-in-chief of the Russian media organisation RT, responded to the arrest warrant on Telegram. She threatened the country that arrests the Russian President, implying a nuclear bomb on the capital city in eight minutes.

In a screenshot of the Telegram post shared on Twitter by Anton Gerashchenko, Advisor to the Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, he and other Twitter users commenting on the post are quick to point out that any such attack would also kill Putin.

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In another post by Gerashchenko, he shares a video of Moscow residents being interviewed on the street about what they think of the arrest warrant. They all express doubt about the possibility of Putin being arrested, with one claiming 'Putin - no one will arrest him. Rather, he will arrest everyone'. Another one declares 'we will protect him - the people of Russia'.

Sources used:

Newsweek: 'Putin Will Be Haunted by Arrest Warrant for Rest of His Life: Ex-Ambassador'

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