Sitting in Hague, Netherlands, the International Criminal Court (ICC) has ordered the arrest of Russian President, Vladimir Putin for war crimes in Ukraine and the illegal deportation of children from Ukraine to Russia.
The arrest warrant which was issued on Friday and sighted by the News Chronicle on the court’s website accused Putin of violating articles 8(2)(a)(vii) and 8(2)(b)(viii) of the Rome Statute. The court alleged that Putin unlawfully deported Ukrainian children into Russian territory.
In February 2022, the Russian army invaded Ukraine in a war that has ravaged the country for more than a year, leading to deaths of many and destruction of properties.
While it is unlikely that Putin will end up in court any time soon, the warrant means that he could be arrested and sent to The Hague if travelling to any ICC member states.
Responding to the development, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia found the very questions raised by the ICC “outrageous and unacceptable”, and that any decisions of the court were “null and void” concerning Russia.
