MOSCOW – Russia has issued an arrest warrant for the International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor who in March prepared a warrant for President Vladimir Putin on war crimes charges, Russian media reported on Friday.
The British prosecutor, Karim Khan, was added to the Interior Ministry’s wanted list, state-owned news agency TASS said, citing the ministry’s database.
Moscow opened cases against Khan and three ICC judges on March 20, days after the order for Putin’s arrest.
The ICC and its office of the prosecutor had no immediate comment.
The ICC warrant orders the arrest of Putin and Russia’s ombudsman for children’s rights, Maria Lvova-Belova, on war crimes charges related to the abduction of Ukrainian children.
Russia has not concealed a programme under which it has brought thousands of Ukrainian children to Russia but presents it as a humanitarian campaign to protect those abandoned in the conflict zone.
Russia and Putin deny committing war crimes offences during what the Kremlin calls its special military operation in Ukraine, saying they are victims of Western aggression and lies. REUTERS