Get your popcorn ready

| 7:00 pm EDT March 18, 2023
Dear Palmer Report readers, we all understand the difficult era we're heading into. Major media outlets are caving to Trump already. Even the internet itself and publishing platforms may be at risk. But Palmer Report is nonetheless going to lead the fight. We're funding our 2025 operating expenses now, so we can keep publishing no matter what happens. I'm asking you to contribute if you can, because the stakes are just so high. You can donate here.

Break out the popcorn. The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Vlad the Invader and Commissioner Maria Lvova-Belova. Admittedly these warrants are largely symbolic as long as either remain in Russia since they are not a party to the ICC (for that matter neither are the US or Ukraine) and Russia already said it won’t cooperate in any event. The ICC largely admitted that it was more about deterring Vlad and his stooges from committing more crimes than arresting him. (Not that it would do much good).

However, if either travel outside Russia to a place that is a party to the ICC, they at the least risk arrest and prosecution if the jurisdiction they visit has the spine to honor the arrest warrants. And if he wants to do a victory lap through Ukraine that country said they would cooperate with the ICC.

I think this will have the effect of isolating Vlad even more than he is already. Other countries may not want to risk diplomatic incidents by cuffing the pile of manure, but they can use it as leverage to exclude Putin from visiting their countries for meetings or other events. And it can be used to embarrass Putin – how many other world leaders have active arrest warrants from august bodies like the ICC?

But what I’m really looking forward to is the reaction of Putin’s fluffer Donnie and the rest of the GQP. It’s why I said get out the popcorn.