Russian President Vladimir Putin (Photo: Reuters).
On March 17, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for President Vladimir Putin and Russian Presidential Commissioner for Children's Rights Maria Lvova-Belova on charges of "illegal deportation and illegal transfer of children from the territory of Ukraine to Russia".
The ICC statement said there were "reasonable grounds to believe that Mr Putin was personally responsible for the above acts", including acts directly or through others under his command, as well as his "failure to exercise proper control over the civil and military authorities under his command".
According to RT news agency (Russia), thousands of people in the regions of Donetsk, Lugansk, Zaporozhye and Kherson - 4 regions that voted in favor of joining Russia last September - were evacuated to Russian territory in the context of Ukrainian forces deliberately shelling civilians with weapons provided by NATO.
Andriy Yermak, chief of staff to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, warned that the arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court against the Russian president was “just the beginning.” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba also welcomed the order, saying that “the wheels of justice are turning.”
Russian officials immediately denounced the ICC's decision. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said the orders "make no sense" for Russia, including from a "legal point of view."
"Russia is not a member of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court and has no obligations in this regard. This order is legally null and void for us," Zakharova responded.
"We consider this decision outrageous and unacceptable. Russia, like many other countries, does not recognize the jurisdiction of this court. Accordingly, any court's statement is legally null and void for Russia," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
Senator Andrey Klishas, a senior member of the United Russia party, called the ICC's announcement "ridiculous", saying the ICC was setting itself on a path to self-destruction.
Ms. Lvova-Belova also spoke out in response to the ICC's decision against her.
“It is great that the international community appreciates our country's work to help children, that we did not leave them in the war zone, that we took them out, that we created good conditions for them, that we surrounded them with love and care,” said Lvova-Belova.
Dmitry Medvedev, former Russian President and current Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council, also rejected the ICC's order.
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