Court drama: What does the ICC arrest warrant mean for Putin?

What is the international criminal court arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin for?

- By Peter Beaumont

The court has issued arrest warrants for the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, and Russia's commissioner for children's rights, Maria Alekseyevna Lvova-Belova, in relation to the forced deportation of children from Ukraine to Russia, where many have been adopted by Russian families.

Forced deportation of populations is recognised as a crime under the Rome statute that established the court. Russia was a signatory to the Rome statute, but withdrew in 2016, saying it did not recognise the jurisdiction of the court.

Although Ukraine is itself not a signatory to the court in The Hague, it granted the ICC jurisdiction to investigate war crimes committed on its territory.

Four visits by the ICC's chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, over the past year have led to a ruling that "there are reasonable grounds to believe that Mr Putin bears individual criminal responsibility" for the child abductions.

What does that mean in reality?

Because Russia does not recognise the court and does not extradite its citizens, it is highly unlikely that Putin or Lvova-Belova will be surrendered to the court's jurisdiction any time soon.