Arrest warrant issued for Vladimir Putin for alleged war crimes in Ukraine

A warrant was also issued for Russia's commissioner for children's rights

The International Criminal Court said in a statement that Putin "is allegedly responsible for the war crime of unlawful deportation of population (children) and that of unlawful transfer of population (children) from occupied areas of Ukraine to the Russian Federation".

It also issued a warrant for the arrest for Maria Alekseyevna Lvova-Belova, Russia's commissioner for children’s rights, on similar allegations, Sky News reported.

The court’s pre-trial judges assessed 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 judges considered issuing secret warrants, The Guardian noted, but decided that making them public could “contribute to the prevention of the further commission of crimes”.

On Thursday, a UN-backed inquiry cited Russian attacks against civilians in Ukraine, including systematic torture and killing in occupied regions, among potential issues that amount to war crimes and possibly crimes against humanity, the Associated Press reported.

Moscow has denied allegations of war crimes since it invaded Ukraine in February last year.

This is a breaking news story. More to follow.