Ukraine says ICC arrest warrant for Putin helped return deported kids

9/12/2023 6:16

        Ukraine's human rights commissioner said on Friday that two arrest warrants issued for Russian President Vladimir Putin and another official over the unlawful wartime deportation of children to Russia had helped to return some of them.
        
        The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued warrants in March for the arrest of Putin and children's ombudsman Maria Lvova-Belova on war crimes charges related to the abduction of Ukrainian children. The Kremlin rejects the allegations.
        
        Kyiv says it has officially confirmed the deportation of 19,546 children and that the figure could be higher.
        
        "In my opinion, after the two arrest warrants were issued by the International Criminal Court for Putin and Lvova-Belova, it has become easier to return children," Dmytro Lubinets, the Ukrainian human rights commissioner, told a news conference.
        
        On Wednesday, eight children were brought back to Ukraine from Russia and Moscow-occupied territories, under a deal brokered by Qatar.