How can Vladimir Putin be arrested for war crimes?

The number of civilians killed in Ukraine is increasing, and with it, allegations are also growing that Moscow is committing war crimes by shelling and targeting civilians.

In an effort to record these crimes, the Ukrainian government has opened a new war front, committing visual teams to film all sides of cities bombed by Russia and the same, to begin at the International War Crimes Tribunal's address in The Hague.

Last month, tribunal prosecutors at The Hague said they have opened an investigation into possible war crimes in Ukraine a move hosted by leaders of the European Union's governments.

The definition of war crimes and required evidence

War crimes, according to international law, include targeting civilians, in that form when damage to civilians, are in disproportionate with military targets. These include attacks on hospitals, clinics, schools, historical monuments, and other supposed civilians during the war. Also involved is the bombing of cities, villages, and regions that are not military targets.

In most cases, the fact of the killings of civilians in the form corresponding to war crimes still remains difficult.

“The standard to investigate any case as a war crime remains too high, says of Euronea, Marty Flaks, director of the Human Rights Initiative at the Centre for Strategic Research in Washington.

The expectation of investigating someone for war crimes and crimes against humanity should be the willingness to prove individual responsibilities in the case and prove who the orders are given to these crimes. And that makes work very difficult, especially when done in collaboration with the state”, he says.

To investigate someone, prosecutors must find evidence that crimes coincide with those crimes involved genocide and crimes against humanity or war crimes.

Prosecutors of this, seeking the scale and nature of these kinds of crimes.

The court wants individuals. He doesn't want states. In the case of Ukraine, Russia may be suspected, but Vladimir Putin may be the suspect.

An arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin?

Once again, investigations should be culminated in finding solid evidence before a possible arrest warrant was issued to Putin but doing so under these circumstances would be very complicated.

Paralysely, any kind of crime investigation involved several steps, such as facts of physical involvement, interviewing as well as gathering testimony from witnesses, meeting and contextising information concerning crimes allegedly committed. And doing this in the context of a war that's still going on, it's still very difficult”, says Mr. Flacks.

If the International Court for War Crimes had issued an arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin, the latter's right to travel would be cut off instantly.

So, if Putin's conduct, along with his subordinates before the Court, were ordered, that means that the government would have to be changed to Moscow and that Putin could be arrested by the people around him just once. This can't seem to be”

Time required to arrest head of state

If there are accusations and Putin remains head of state, that makes work even more complicated, and these kinds of cases are full of us throughout history where the physical presence of the heads of state before the court has been simply impossible because of their positions. This is important, since the International Court for War Crimes does not judge anyone who is not present.

Even if Putin and his military assistants or other political officials from Moscow were investigated, it would take years to make a decision.

The court's “Procurors need a long time. For example, an investigation has been under way since 2014 concerning the Russian invasion of Ukraine and those investigations are still continuing”, says Mr. Flacks,

And as we know, prosecutors have several cases that started in 2000 and those cases are still continuing to be investigated”, he says. /Stefan Grobe/ Euronews/Periscope