The International Criminal Court on Friday issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin for war crimes due to his alleged involvement in the kidnapping of Ukrainian children.
Justice is unlikely to be able to 'touch' the Russian leader: The Hague cannot try defendants in absentia and Russia has always said it will not hand over its officials. Nor does it recognize the authority of the court. But various human rights groups hailed the decision as an important step to hold Moscow accountable in some way for abuses during its war against Ukraine.
The court said in a statement that Putin "is allegedly responsible for the war crime of illegal deportation of population [children] and the illegal transfer of population [children] from the occupied areas of Ukraine to the Russian Federation."
The arrest warrant comes after various complaints by the Ukrainian authorities, NGOs and the media about the alleged abduction of children in Ukraine by the invading forces. Various testimonies claim that when Russian troops entered Ukraine last year, some children fleeing from the newly occupied territories were abducted into Russian territory.
Along with the 'wanted' notice against Putin, the court also issued a warrant for the arrest of Maria Lvova-Belova, Commissioner for Children's Rights in the Office of the President of the Russian Federation. The order is motivated by similar accusations. Lvova-Belova, was defiant in an interview with the Russian media RBC. "It's great that the international community has appreciated our work to help the children of our country."
The International Criminal Court ensures that its investigation chamber found that there were reasonable grounds to believe that each of the suspects "is responsible for the war crime of illegal deportation to the detriment of Ukrainian children."
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