Arrest warrant issued against Russian President Vladimir Putin by World Court: report

The International Criminal Court (ICC) on Friday issued an arrest warrant against Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russian official Maria Alekseyevna LvovaBelova for the alleged scheme to deport Ukrainian children to Russia, reported CNN.

The Hague-based ICC accused the Russian president of responsibility for war crimes committed by Russian forces in Ukraine during the war that has been ongoing for over a year.

The Hague-based court said in a statement on Friday Putin "is allegedly responsible for the war crime of unlawful deportation of the population (children) and that of unlawful transfer of population (children) from occupied areas of Ukraine to the Russian Federation."

It also issued a warrant for the arrest of Maria Alekseyevna Lvova-Belova, the commissioner for children's rights in the office of the president of the Russian Federation on similar allegations, reported Al Jazeera.

Russia did not immediately comment following the ICC's move on Friday.