"Reward of 1.2 Billion Won for Capturing Mass Murderer Putin"… Russian-born Businessman Launches 'Wanted' Campaign

Posted Wanted Poster on Facebook Account
"Denazification of Russia is My Moral Duty"
International Criminal Court Begins Collecting Evidence of Russian Military War Crimes

Wanted poster of Russian President Vladimir Putin posted on Facebook by Russian-born businessman Aleksandr Pavlovich Konanihin / Photo by Facebook (left)
Konanihin wearing a T-shirt supporting Ukraine / Photo by Facebook (right)

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Juhyung] A Russian-born businessman has attracted attention by offering a $1 million (about 1.2 billion KRW) bounty for the capture of Russian President Vladimir Putin. This businessman is Aleksandr Pavlovich Konanykhin, who built around 100 companies in Russia and was nicknamed "Russia's richest man." He claimed that removing President Putin is his "moral duty."

On the 2nd (local time), Konanykhin announced on his Facebook account, "I will pay $1 million for the arrest of Putin, a war criminal under the Russian constitution and international law."

Konanykhin also created and posted a wanted poster image of President Putin. The poster included phrases such as "Wanted," "Dead or Alive," and "Mass Murderer Vladimir Putin."

The wanted poster was soon removed due to violation of Facebook's operating policies. However, Konanykhin's post remains available.

Konanykhin stated, "As a Russian-born citizen, it is my moral duty to lead the denazification of Russia," and added, "I will continue to support Ukraine's heroic efforts to withstand the fierce attacks of Putin's forces."

In another post on the 3rd, he emphasized the intent of the bounty, saying, "There are many reports that I decided to pay for Putin's assassination, but that is not true," and "I want to ensure he faces justice."

Earlier, starting on the 24th of last month, Russian forces launched a large-scale invasion operation against Ukraine. There have been allegations that the Russian military used weapons such as "vacuum bombs" and "cluster munitions," which are used for mass killings, in civilian areas. In this regard, the International Criminal Court (ICC), an international judicial body, has begun collecting evidence of war crimes by the Russian military.

The ICC, established in 2002, investigates, prosecutes, and punishes individuals who commit four major crimes: war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide, and crimes of aggression.

However, it is still uncertain whether the ICC can bring President Putin to trial on war crime charges. The ICC can start investigations without separate judicial approval if a case is referred by a party state (member state) or the United Nations Security Council.

But the situation is different for non-member states. Investigating non-member states requires the cooperation of the party involved, and if President Putin's side refuses to cooperate, the trial process could be disrupted. Currently, both Russia and Ukraine, the subjects of the investigation, are not ICC member states.

Given these circumstances, Konanykhin appears to advocate a hardline stance that the capture of President Putin must be secured by placing a bounty on his head.

Meanwhile, according to the U.S. media outlet The Washington Post (WP), Konanykhin is a figure who, after the collapse of the former Soviet Union, founded around 100 companies and once held the title of "Russia's richest man." He is currently exiled in the United States and serves as the CEO of Transparent Business, a digital work platform company based in New York City.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.