Vladimir Putin issued arrest warrant by ICC over alleged war crimes in Ukraine

The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant on Friday for Russian President Vladimir Putin based on the alleged war crime of forcibly deporting Ukrainian children.

The Hague-based ICC said it has also issued a warrant against Maria Lvova-Belova, Russia's presidential commissioner for children's rights, on similar charges.

The arrest warrant was rejected as "void" by Moscow. It was unclear whether or how Putin may ever find himself in court because Russia is not a party to the ICC.

Meanwhile, the "historic decision" was praised by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as the war-torn country welcomed the ICC declaration.

The court's shocking announcement came hours after other news that may have had a huge impact on Russia's war in Ukraine, including the arrival of more fighter jets for Kyiv's military and the visit of Chinese leader Xi Jinping to Moscow.

According to Kyiv, more than 16,000 Ukrainian children have been sent back to Russia since the invasion on Feb. 24, 2022, with many of them supposedly being placed in institutions and foster homes.

Putin is now subject to arrest if he steps foot in any of ICC's more than 120 member states, according to ICC prosecutor Karim Khan, who spoke to AFP.

He stated that the arrest warrants were "based upon forensic evidence, scrutiny, and what's been spoken by those two persons".

"The evidence we presented focused on crimes against children. Children are the most vulnerable part of our society," said Khan.

"Crimes against children was the focus of the evidence we provided. The most vulnerable group in our society is children," he added.

According to the ICC, judges decided there were "reasonable grounds" to believe Putin was guilty of a crime and approved Khan's request for the warrants, which was submitted back on Feb. 22.

The execution of the warrants "depends on international collaboration," according to ICC President Piotr Hofmanski.

Lvova-Belova revealed she had adopted a 15-year-old child from the destroyed Ukrainian port city of Mariupol during a meeting with Putin in the middle of February.

"Now I know what it means to be a mother of a child from Donbas — it is a difficult job but we love each other, that is for sure," she told Putin.

"We evacuated children's homes into safe areas, arranged rehabilitation and prosthetics for them and provided them with targeted humanitarian assistance," she added.

It is an unprecedented decision for ICC to issue an arrest warrant for Putin, a sitting head of state of a member of the U.N. Security Council.

The ICC was established in 2002 as a court of last resort for the worst crimes in the world, when the countries can't prosecute suspects.

Just days after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, prosecutor Khan opened an inquiry into possible war crimes and crimes against humanity there.

He recently shared images from a trip to Ukraine with empty cots in a vacant children's home and said that it was a "priority" to look into claims of child abduction.

"It's poignant," he said. "One sees empty cribs and empty beds juxtaposed with paintings by those children on the walls."

The arrest order for Putin pleased Zelensky, who met Khan on his visit. "A historic decision from which historic responsibility will begin," Mr. Zelensky said.

Britain and the European Union – Ukraine allies both praised the action, describing it as "welcome" and the "just the start," respectively. It was a "big day for the many victims" of Russian forces, according to Human Rights Watch.

The Kremlin dismissed the warrants. "Russia, just like a number of different countries, does not recognise the jurisdiction of this court and so from a legal point of view, the decisions of this court are void," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

Dmitry Medvedev, former Russian president, compared the arrest warrants to toilet paper, while Maria Zakharova, a spokesperson for the foreign ministry, claimed they "have no meaning" for Russia.

Khan nevertheless claimed there were so many examples of those that thought they were beyond the reach of the law.

He referred to several war criminals from the former Yugoslavia, including former Liberian President Taylor, and stated, "Look at (Slobodan) Milosevic or Charles Taylor or (Radovan) Karadzic or (Ratko) Mladic," who have faced punishment.

Earlier on Friday, Beijing and Moscow declared that Chinese President and strategic ally Xi will visit Russia next week to sign agreements ushering in a new era of relations between the two countries.

China has vehemently denied U.S. accusations that it is considering arm shipments to help Russia's campaign.

The arrest warrants were issued a day after U.N. investigators declared that Russia committed a war crime when it forcibly relocated and deported Ukrainian children to territories under its control.

The investigators claimed that parents and children had related stories of Russian social services telling children they would be adopted or placed in foster households.

Although neither Russia nor Ukraine are ICC members, Kyiv has acknowledged the court's authority and is collaborating with Khan's office.

Russia disputes claims that its soldiers committed war crimes. It is improbable that it would ever turn over any suspects, experts noted.

The news that Slovakia will provide 13 MiG-29 warplanes reached Kyiv on Friday when combat was still going on in the country. Ukraine has long asked its Western allies for fighter jets, preferring instead more recent F-16s built in the U.S.