As a result of his suspected involvement in the kidnapping of Ukrainian children, the International Criminal Court asserted on Friday that it had issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin for Ukrainian war crimes. Putin “is allegedly responsible for the war crime of population (children) deportation and that of the population (children) transfer from seized territories of Ukraine to the Russian Federation,” according to a statement from the court.
On Friday, it also issued an arrest warrant for Maria Alekseyevna Lvova-Belova, the Russian Federation’s Commissioner for Children’s Rights, on related charges.
According to the ICC, its pre-trial chamber determined that there are considerable reasons to believe that each suspect is accountable for the war crimes of unlawful population deportation. Also, they are responsible for the unlawful population transfer from occupied areas of Ukraine to the Russian Federation, both of which hurt Ukrainian children.
On the other hand, as the invasion nears its year anniversary, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy encouraged Western partners to speed up their military backing for Ukraine on Friday, warning at a significant international security conference that delays would strengthen Russia’s position.
On Thursday, a UN-backed investigation listed possible incidents that amounted to war crimes and maybe crimes against humanity, including Russian strikes against people in Ukraine, systematic torture, and murders in seized territory.
A filtration system designed to single out Ukrainians for detention, torture, and inhumane detention conditions was also discovered as part of the extensive investigation into crimes against Ukrainians committed on Russian soil. Deported Ukrainian children who were also prevented from re-joining their families were also discovered. But the ICC gave Putin a face on Friday, putting an end to the accusations of kidnapping.
“The ICC has made Putin a wanted man and taken its first step to end the impunity that has emboldened perpetrators in Russia’s war against Ukraine for far too long,” said Balkees Jarrah, associate international justice director at Human Rights Watch.
“The warrants send a clear message that giving orders to commit, or tolerating, serious crimes against civilians may lead to a prison cell in The Hague.”