On December 29, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed an amendment to the law allowing Russia to ignore rulings in criminal cases issued by foreign and international courts.
According to domestic amended law, Russia officially has the right not to comply with judgments in criminal cases issued by foreign courts on behalf of foreign governments without Russia's participation.
The rulings of international legal bodies - if their jurisdiction is not based on an international agreement with Russia or a resolution of the United Nations Security Council - may also be ignored by Russia under new regulations.
This move comes as US President Donald Trump is seeking to promote a peace agreement for Ukraine, and is seen as a response to a series of initiatives aimed at pursuing accusations against Russian officials and military officers related to the conflict in Ukraine - which Moscow rejects.
Ukraine and the Human Rights Agency of the European Council signed an agreement in June, laying the foundation for the establishment of a special court.
This month, Europe also launched the International Commission for Compensation for Ukraine, to find ways to ensure that Kiev is compensated hundreds of billions of USD in damages allegedly incurred by Russian attacks and related allegations.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague (Netherlands) has also issued arrest warrants for Mr. Putin and 5 other Russian citizens, related to allegations of illegal deportation of children from Ukraine.
The Kremlin, which called the ICC's move "unreasonable", said the allegations were false and affirmed that Russia only acted to bring children out of the conflict zone to ensure their safety.
