As the war between Russia and Ukraine continues with Kremlin troops being relentless in their pursuit of attacking Ukraine, the interior ministry of Russia on Saturday announced that they have a new addition to Moscow’s list of ‘wanted criminals’ – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Zelenskyy has been added to the “wanted” list “under an article of the criminal code”, a claim that the embattled president has denied, per The New York Times report.

Ukrainian officials, meanwhile, dubbed Russia’s move as an act of “desperation” and called it propaganda invented only to “garner attention”.

Former Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and Ukraine’s Ground Forces Commander, Oleksandr Pavliuk have also been added to Moscow’s “wanted” list, said The Kyiv Independent report.

Additionally, Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas and Ukraine’s military intelligence head Kyrylo Budanov are also on the list, it added.

On the other hand, a statement from Ukraine’s foreign ministry said that the arrest warrant against Russian President Vladimir Putin by the International Criminal Court (ICC) is real, not worthless as Russian announcements, adding that the warrant is enforceable in 123 countries.

“We would like to remind everyone that, unlike the worthless Russian announcements, the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) warrant for the arrest of Russian dictator Vladimir Putin on war crimes charges is real and enforceable in 123 countries,” Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry said.

Meanwhile, in his video address, Zelenskyy reported at least five assassination attempts since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

First Published: May 05 2024 | 9:02 AM IST