THE HAGUE–
The International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The arrest warrant was issued publicly on Friday for the President’s alleged involvement in the abduction of children from Ukraine.
President Putin “is allegedly responsible 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, ” the warrant stated.
An arrest warrant has also been issued for Maria Alekseyevna Lvova-Belova, the Commissioner for Children’s Rights in the Office of the President of the Russian Federation. She is wanted for similar charges.
Despite the warrants, a spokesman for President Putin reported that the court does it have jurisdiction:
“The very question itself is outrageous and unacceptable,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. “Russia, as a number of other states, does not recognize the jurisdiction of this court, and therefore any of its decisions are for the Russian Federation from a legal point of view insignificant.”
The move by the criminal court at the Hague is seen as a significant step, however, it is unclear if either the President or Maria Alekseyevna Lvova-Belova will face charges.