Facts

• The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday for the alleged war crime of unlawfully deporting children from Ukraine.^[1]
• The ICC’s move obligates its 123 member states to arrest Putin and transfer him to The Hague for trial if he sets foot on their territory. Neither Russia nor Ukraine are ICC members, although Kyiv has granted it jurisdiction to prosecute crimes committed on its territory.^[2]
• The ICC also issued an arrest warrant for Russia’s commissioner for children's rights Maria Lvova-Belova, accusing her of similar crimes.^[2]
• Some analysts say the ICC’s arrest warrant doesn't carry much legal weight as charges cannot be pressed as long as Putin remains in non-ICC member countries, including Russia, Ukraine, and China. In addition, Moscow doesn't allow the extradition of its nationals.^[3]
• According to a US-backed Yale University report, Russia has held at least 6k children in at least 43 facilities, a program that Moscow — denying the allegations — maintains is a humanitarian operation for orphans stranded in conflict zones.^[2]
• Meanwhile, ICC chief prosecutor Karim Khan opened an investigation into potential war crimes last year and has since made four trips to Ukraine.^[1]