Russia and 'War Crimes' ~Preet The International Criminal Court (ICC) has stated that it will launch an inquiry into suspected Russian war crimes in Ukraine. War crimes are subject to strict international norms. The International Criminal Court (ICC) is a permanent judicial entity established by the 1998 Rome Statute of the ICC (its foundation and governing text), which went into effect on July 1, 2002. Its headquarters are in The Hague, Netherlands. The Rome Statute has 123 States Parties who recognise the ICC's authority. The United States, China, Russia, and India are not members. The forum was created as a last-resort court to pursue crimes that would otherwise go unpunished. It is responsible for four major crimes: genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and aggression. War crimes are major violations of humanitarian law committed during a conflict. The concept set by the ICC's Rome Statute is based on the 1949 Geneva Conventions. It is predicated on the