International Criminal Court issues arrest warrant against Putin over war crimes in Ukraine

The International Criminal Court (ICC) on Friday (March 17) issued an arrest warrant against Russian President Vladimir Putin for war crimes because of his alleged involvement in the abduction and "unlawful deportation" of Ukrainian children.

The Hague-based ICC said it had also issued a warrant against Maria Lvova-Belova,Commissioner for Children’s Rights in the Office of the President of the Russian Federation, on similar charges.

"The decisions of the International Criminal Court have no meaning for our country, including from a legal point of view," Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on social media.

"Russia is not a party of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court and bears no obligations under it," she added.

"Russia does not cooperate with this body and possible 'recipes' for arrest coming from the international court will be legally void as far as we are concerned," she said without referring to Putin by name.