Russian Commissioner for Children’s Rights Maria Lvova-Belova said on Friday that the decision of the International Criminal Court (ICC) to arrest her for war crimes confirms her work “to help the children of our country,” RIA Novosti reports, Reuters reports.

The International Criminal Court on Friday issued arrest warrants for President Vladimir Putin and Children’s Rights Commissioner Maria Lvova-Belova for the war crime of illegal deportation of children from Ukraine.

“It’s wonderful that the international community appreciated this work to help the children of our country: not to leave them in the war zone, to take them out, to create good conditions for them, that we surrounded them with loving, caring people,” she said. RIA informs journalists about this.

Last month, Lvova-Belova announced that she had “adopted” a child from the Ukrainian city of Mariupol, which is now controlled by Russia.

What is the decision of the International Criminal Court about?

• Vladimir Volodymyrovych Putin, born on October 7, 1952, President of the Russian Federation, allegedly responsible for the war crime of illegal deportation of the population (children) and illegal transfer of the population (children) from the occupied regions of Ukraine to the Russian Federation (according to Articles 8(2)( a)(vii) and 8(2)(b)(viii) of the Rome Statute). The crimes were allegedly committed on the occupied territory of Ukraine at least as of February 24, 2022. There are reasonable grounds to believe that Mr. Putin bears individual criminal responsibility for the above crimes (i) because he acted directly with others and/or through others (Article 25(3)(a) of the Rome Statute) and (ii) because his failure to exercise adequate control over the civilian and military subordinates who committed the acts or permitted them to be committed and who were under his authority and effective control in accordance with the responsibility of the superior (Article 28 (b) of the Rome Statute).
• Mrs. Maria Oleksiivna Lviva-Belova, born on October 25, 1984, Commissioner for Children’s Rights in the Office of the President of the Russian Federation, responsible for the war crime of illegal deportation of the population (children) and illegal displacement of the population. (children) from the occupied territories of Ukraine to the Russian Federation (in accordance with Articles 8(2)(a)(vii) and 8(2)(b)(viii) of the Rome Statute). The crimes were allegedly committed on the occupied Ukrainian territory at least since February 24, 2022. There are reasonable grounds to believe that Ms. Lvivova-Belova bears individual criminal responsibility for the above-mentioned crimes, since she committed these actions directly, together with others and/or through others (Article 25(3)(a) of the Rome Statute).
• The second chamber of preliminary proceedings, on the basis of the requests of the prosecutor’s office dated February 22, 2023, recognized that there are good reasons to believe that each suspect is involved in the war crime of illegal deportation of the population and illegal transfer of the population from the occupied territories of Ukraine to the Russian Federation, to the detriment of Ukrainian children.

Russia signed the Rome Statute in 2000, but never ratified it to become a member of the ICC, and finally withdrew its signature in 2016.