Russia: An arrest warrant was issued on Friday by the International Criminal Court (ICC) against Russian President Vladimir Putin and Maria Alekseyevna Lvova-Belova, the Commissioner for Children’s Rights in the Office of the President of the Russian Federation. The warrant was issued on the grounds of their alleged involvement in the abduction of children from Ukraine and the war crimes committed therein.

The court found Putin to be “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.” The ICC’s pre-trial chamber also determined that there were “reasonable grounds to believe that each suspect bears responsibility for the war crime of unlawful deportation of population and that of unlawful transfer of population from occupied areas of Ukraine to the Russian Federation, in prejudice of Ukrainian children.”

The charges stem from the alleged abductions of children from Ukraine and their transport to Russia. The warrant for Lvova-Belova was issued on similar allegations. Putin’s government has yet to respond to the ICC’s warrant, and it remains to be seen what actions will be taken in response to the order.