ICC issues arrest warrant for Putin over Ukraine war crimes
Warrant also issued for Russia’s presidential commissioner for children’s rights, Maria Alekseyevna Lvova-Belova
The international criminal court (ICC) on Friday issued arrest warrants for President Vladimir Putin and Russia’s presidential commissioner for children’s rights, Maria Alekseyevna Lvova-Belova.
The court's shock notice came hours after other news with the potential to significantly impact Russia's war on Ukraine, including a Moscow visit from Chinese leader Xi Jinping and more fighter jets for Kyiv's forces.
In a statement, the ICC said there were “reasonable grounds” to believe that the strongman leader “bears criminal responsibility” for the “war crime of unlawful deportation of population (children) and that of unlawful transfer of population (children) from occupied areas of Ukraine to the Russian Federation” in Ukrainian occupied territory.
The document also cited Putin's "failure to exercise control properly over civilian and military subordinates who committed the acts, or allowed for their commission, and who were under his effective authority and control."
Russian officials dismissed the announcement as "meaningless" and the warrant as "void."
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The statement added there were also “reasonable grounds” to believe that Lvova-Belova “bears individual criminal responsibility” for “the war crime of unlawful deportation of population (children) and that of unlawful transfer of population (children) from occupied areas of Ukraine to the Russian Federation.”
Moscow has repeatedly denied accusations that its forces have committed atrocities during its one-year invasion of its neighbor.