October 18, 2023

Armenia Joins ICC against Putin's Wishes


Armenia Joins ICC against Putin's Wishes
Armenian President Vahagn Khachaturyan. En Mayúscula, Twitter.

Armenian President Vahagn Khachaturyan recently approved his parliament's decision to ratify the 1998 Rome Statute, allowing Armenia to officially join the International Criminal Court (ICC). The move further strained Armenia's ties with Russia, as the International Tribunal for War Crimes is the body that issued an arrest warrant for President Vladimir Putin .

Armenia began the process of ratification of the Rome Statute in 2004. However, the procedure was halted due to claims it violated the country's constitution. In late 2022, Armenia restarted the process, against Russian wishes.

Meanwhile, in March 2023, the ICC ordered Putin's arrest for the deportation of Ukrainian children in occupied territories. In April, the vice president of the Armenian Parliament, Hakob Arshakyan, said that Armenia doesn't plan to arrest Putin if he were to visit the country.

This past week, Putin visited Kyrgyzstan for the Commonwealth of Independent States Summit. Armenian representatives did not attend the gathering.

Armenia's decision to join the ICC was a response to Azerbaijan's military operation in the disputed Armenian-majority region of Nagorno Karabakh, also called Artsakh by Armenians. The operation killed 200 civilians and injured 400. Over 100,000 ethnic Armenians have fled to Armenia. Yerevan now plans to summon Azerbaijani authorities to The Hague.

U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken has expressed concern that Azerbaijan could launch a full-scale invasion of Armenia soon.

You Might Also Like

600 Days of War
  • October 16, 2023

600 Days of War

Russia's War on Ukraine has been going on for 600 days. Some Facts & Figures.
  • August 15, 2023

"I Am Horrified"

The founder of Russian tech giant Yandex publicly condemns the War on Ukraine.
Taken from Home to Belarus
  • July 24, 2023

Taken from Home to Belarus

Children from Russian-annexed Ukraine are being sent to camps in Belarus. Many don't return.
Fugitive No. 1
  • March 18, 2023

Fugitive No. 1

Russian President and Indicted War Criminal Vladimir Putin had a bad day.
Masha, The War Criminal
  • March 22, 2023

Masha, The War Criminal

The International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant for Maria Lvova-Belova. Who is she?
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

Maria's War: A Soldier's Autobiography

Maria's War: A Soldier's Autobiography

This astonishingly gripping autobiography by the founder of the Russian Women’s Death Battallion in World War I is an eye-opening documentary of life before, during and after the Bolshevik Revolution.
The Samovar Murders

The Samovar Murders

The murder of a poet is always more than a murder. When a famous writer is brutally stabbed on the campus of Moscow’s Lumumba University, the son of a recently deposed African president confesses, and the case assumes political implications that no one wants any part of.
White Magic

White Magic

The thirteen tales in this volume – all written by Russian émigrés, writers who fled their native country in the early twentieth century – contain a fair dose of magic and mysticism, of terror and the supernatural. There are Petersburg revenants, grief-stricken avengers, Lithuanian vampires, flying skeletons, murders and duels, and even a ghostly Edgar Allen Poe.
The Little Humpbacked Horse (bilingual)

The Little Humpbacked Horse (bilingual)

A beloved Russian classic about a resourceful Russian peasant, Vanya, and his miracle-working horse, who together undergo various trials, exploits and adventures at the whim of a laughable tsar, told in rich, narrative poetry.
Murder and the Muse

Murder and the Muse

KGB Chief Andropov has tapped Matyushkin to solve a brazen jewel heist from Picasso’s wife at the posh Metropole Hotel. But when the case bleeds over into murder, machinations, and international intrigue, not everyone is eager to see where the clues might lead.
A Taste of Russia

A Taste of Russia

The definitive modern cookbook on Russian cuisine has been totally updated and redesigned in a 30th Anniversary Edition. Layering superbly researched recipes with informative essays on the dishes' rich historical and cultural context, A Taste of Russia includes over 200 recipes on everything from borshch to blini, from Salmon Coulibiac to Beef Stew with Rum, from Marinated Mushrooms to Walnut-honey Filled Pies. A Taste of Russia shows off the best that Russian cooking has to offer. Full of great quotes from Russian literature about Russian food and designed in a convenient wide format that stays open during use.
Russian Rules

Russian Rules

From the shores of the White Sea to Moscow and the Northern Caucasus, Russian Rules is a high-speed thriller based on actual events, terrifying possibilities, and some really stupid decisions.
The Frogs Who Begged for a Tsar (bilingual)

The Frogs Who Begged for a Tsar (bilingual)

The fables of Ivan Krylov are rich fonts of Russian cultural wisdom and experience – reading and understanding them is vital to grasping the Russian worldview. This new edition of 62 of Krylov’s tales presents them side-by-side in English and Russian. The wonderfully lyrical translations by Lydia Razran Stone are accompanied by original, whimsical color illustrations by Katya Korobkina.
Okudzhava Bilingual

Okudzhava Bilingual

Poems, songs and autobiographical sketches by Bulat Okudzhava, the king of the Russian bards. 

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955