Russian citizens who fought against Ukraine may face arrest or criminal prosecution in European Union countries , the Russian embassies in Germany and the Netherlands have warned.

This is reported by The Moscow Times, Censor.NET informs.

The Russian diplomatic mission in Germany indicated that formally, participation in armed conflicts abroad is not a criminal offense under local law, but prosecution under other articles is possible – in particular, for recruitment to serve in the interests of a foreign state or public approval of war crimes, including the use of the symbols Z and V.

Germany has also had an International Criminal Code in place since 2002, allowing it to prosecute foreigners for crimes committed outside the country. After the start of the full-scale war against Ukraine, the German Prosecutor General’s Office and the Ministry of Justice initiated an investigation into crimes committed by the Russian military.

The Russian Embassy in the Netherlands emphasized that participation in hostilities is not grounds for criminal prosecution in this country, but international law allows for the application of universal jurisdiction to crimes against humanity, including war crimes , which have no statute of limitations.

In addition, it is possible that the Ukrainian authorities may initiate a search for Russians suspected of war crimes through Interpol or in accordance with extradition agreements signed with EU countries.

The European Commission explained that the Schengen Borders Code allows member states to deny entry to war participants. However, decisions on admission, arrest or opening criminal cases are made by each state individually.

Experts emphasize that migration policy in the EU is regulated by national laws. As Karin Bechet-Golovko, president of the Comitas Gentium France-Russia association, noted, the European Union can only recommend actions, but the decision is made by each country.

At this point, according to the diplomatic missions of the Russian Federation in Germany and the Netherlands, no arrests of Russian participants in the war have been recorded. Джерело: https://censor.net/ua/n3548631

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