Chairman of the Investigative Committee Alexander Bastrykin instructed to conduct an investigation due to the issuance of warrants for the arrest of “citizens of the Russian Federation” by the International Criminal Court in The Hague (ICC). This is stated in the telegram channel of the department.
“As part of the audit, the Investigative Committee of Russia will identify specific individuals from among the judges of the ICC who made the above obviously illegal decisions,” the ministry said in a statement.
On March 17, the International Criminal Court in The Hague issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Children's Ombudsman Maria Lvova-Belova. According to the court, both are responsible for the illegal deportation of children from Ukraine and the occupied territories to Russia during the war.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said the ICC warrant for Putin's arrest “doesn't matter.” “Russia does not cooperate with this body, and possible “recipes” for arrest, coming from the International Court, will be legally insignificant for us, ”added Zakharova. The Kremlin called “the very posing of the issue outrageous and unacceptable.”
Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andriy Yermak wrote that the warrant from the International Criminal Court “is only the beginning.” He added that Ukraine has recorded more than 16,000 cases of deportation of children, but such cases, according to Yermak, could be many times more.