ICC issues arrest warrant for Putin over alleged scheme to deport Ukrainian kids to Russia

The International Criminal Court said Friday it has issued an arrest warrants for Russia President Vladimir Putin over an alleged scheme to forcibly deport thousands of Ukrainian children to Russia.

The warrant also names Maria Lvova-Belova, the Russian official at the center of the alleged scheme, according to CNN.

Russia in February 2022 invaded neighboring Ukraine. 

The court, which is based in the Hague, says Putin is allegedly responsible for "war crime."

"There are reasonable grounds to believe that Putin bears individual criminal responsibility for the aforementioned crimes," the court said its pre-trial judges had assessed, according to NBC.