Ukraine parliament votes to join ICC

KIEV

Ukraine's parliament voted on Wednesday to join the International Criminal Court (ICC), as Kiev seeks to bring Russia on charges over war crimes it is alleged to have committed throughout its invasion.

The ICC prosecutes grave offences like genocide and crimes against humanity, and has the power to issue arrest warrants that its 124 members are obliged to execute.

Ukraine signed the Rome Statute that founded the court in 2000, but did not ratify it, with some political and military figures expressing fears Ukrainian soldiers could face prosecution.

"Parliament adopted the ratification of the Rome Statute," opposition lawmaker Yaroslav Zheleznyak said on Telegram. In total, 281 lawmakers voted for the measure.

The ratification controversially included a reference to Article 124 of the Rome Statute, which would exempt Ukrainian citizens from being prosecuted for war crimes for seven years, ruling party lawmaker Yevgeniya Kravchuk said on Facebook.

"The ratification of the Rome Statute will simultaneously facilitate greater opportunities for punishing Russians and increase the isolation of Russia," she said.

Last year, the court issued arrest warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin and his children's ombudsman Maria Lvova-Belova over the deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia and Russian-controlled territory.

Kiev had long faced pressure from rights groups to ratify the treaty as well as from the European Union, which Ukraine has sought to join.

Meanwhile, Russian air defenses shot down 10 Ukrainian drones targeting Moscow, the city's mayor said early yesterday.

"Moscow's layered defense against enemy UAVs that was created has allowed us to successfully repel all attacks," mayor Sergei Sobyanin said in a Telegram post.

"This is one of the largest attempts to attack Moscow with drones ever," he said, adding Russian air defenses shot down 10 drones.

Sobyanin said in an earlier post that no damage or casualties had been reported.