ICC issues arrest warrant for Putin over war crimes in Ukraine

By Claire Parker

 and 

Robyn Dixon

Updated March 17, 2023 at 4:20 p.m. EDT|Published March 17, 2023 at 11:59 a.m. EDT

Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on March 15. (Sputnik/Pavel Bednyakov/Pool via Reuters)

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Judges for the International Criminal Court in The Hague issued on Friday arrest warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin and another top Russian official — the court’s first such decision related to the war in Ukraine.

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Putin and Maria Lvova-Belova, Russia’s commissioner for children’s rights, bear individual responsibility for the war crimes of “unlawful deportation” and “unlawful transfer” of children from occupied areas of Ukraine after Russia invaded the country last year, the judges allege.

What are war crimes, and is Russia committing them in Ukraine?

The warrants come amid intense international pressure to hold Putin accountable for atrocities committed by Russian forces in Ukraine, and marked a highly unusual decision by the court during an ongoing conflict.