Executive Summary
The International Criminal Court (ICC) was established in 2002 to hold leaders and senior officials accountable for genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity. This international judicial body has become increasingly targeted by espionage, cyberattacks, and political influence campaigns by state and non-state actors seeking to undermine its work.
The Court has 125 member states, but three major global powers—the United States, Russia, and China—refuse to join. With a staff of over 900 people and an annual budget of just over $228 million, the ICC faces significant operational challenges. Judges have issued warrants for 61 individuals—including Russian President Vladimir Putin and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu—yet 30 remain at large, highlighting difficulties in securing arrests. [source]
From Russian infiltration attempts to Israeli surveillance, and U.S. political pressure to repeated cyberattacks, the ICC has become a target for clandestine operations and foreign policy action. These tactics exploit the Court’s reliance on member-state cooperation and gradually erode perceptions of its independence, revealing a complex “grey zone” where international justice and power intersect.