{
  "id": 9167569,
  "title": "Can all Russians be held responsible for the war in Ukraine? A heated online debate runs up against international law’s principle of individual responsibility.",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/22/can-all-russians-be-held-responsible-for-the-war-in-ukraine-a-heated",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-22T17:25:40.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Meduza (English)",
    "slug": "meduza-english",
    "url": "https://meduza.io/en/cards/can-all-russians-be-held-responsible-for-the-war-in-ukraine-a-heated-online-debate-runs-up-against-international-law-s-principle-of-individual-responsibility"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A heated social media debate erupted after a segment on \"The Breakfast Show\" where sociologist Konstantin Gaaze asserted that Russians collectively bear responsibility for Russia's invasion of Ukraine. In his words: \"Living in the territory of an aggressor state violates international law. Citizenship in an aggressor country makes you an international criminal.\" However, international humanitarian law, as outlined in the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC), disputes this claim. Article 8 bis of the ICC statute limits the \"crime of aggression\" to a select group of individuals in positions of control, and not merely to citizens. Moreover, Article 25 explicitly states that only individuals can be held criminally responsible. No Russian can be prosecuted solely for their citizenship. Even the arrest warrants issued by the ICC for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Maria Lvova-Belova do not relate to the \"crime of aggression\" but rather to war crimes under Article 8. Russia's refusal to ratify the Rome Statute further complicates the matter, as Russia cannot be prosecuted for the \"crime of aggression.\" Nevertheless, the ICC can still prosecute Russian citizens for other categories of crimes such as war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide.",
  "summary": "An episode of “The Breakfast Show” featuring sociologist Konstantin Gaaze has prompted fierce debate on social media — particularly over his claim that Russians bear collective responsibility for Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}