Abstract

The ongoing armed conflict between the Russian Federation and Ukraine, which started with the unprovoked invasion of the territory of Ukraine, has raised a number a question amongst legal scholar. This paper discusses a topic which has never been examined so far, that is the effects of propaganda for war in decisions making processes which led to the war. To that end, after a distinction between propaganda for war and other cases (disinformation, misinformation, fake news), the essay will focus on the international regulation of the propaganda for war, as well as the relevant case-law. A particular emphasis to the matter of President Putin’s individual criminal responsibility for war propaganda will be placed in order to ascertain whether international criminal law and the law of immunities leave room for the Russian Head of State to be brought to trial. Some conclusion de lege ferenda will be drawn