ICC can prosecute Belarus over deportation of Ukrainian children, regardless of its membership status

This was stated by ICC spokesman Fadi el Abdallah to Ukrainian journalists, as reported by Babel.

"Such crimes could have been committed on Ukrainian territory. Regardless of whether the children were taken to Russia or elsewhere, these acts may fall under the ICC's jurisdiction if the abduction occurred, at least partially, in Ukraine," Abdallah explained.

He noted that in winter 2024, Belarusian authorities displayed a group of Ukrainian children from the Russian-occupied city of Antratsyt, who were sent to a sanatorium in Mogilev, Belarus, where the Belarusian military trained them.

Former Belarusian Minister of Culture Pavel Latushko later provided the ICC with evidence of Lukashenka's alleged involvement in the illegal deportation of Ukrainian children.

Deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia

In the context of a full-scale invasion, Russia is deporting Ukrainian children en masse from the occupied territories of Ukraine. They are taken to the occupied Crimea, Russia or Belarus, allegedly for rehabilitation or to rest in camps.

The International Criminal Court in The Hague issued an arrest warrant for Russian leader Vladimir Putin and Russian Commissioner for Children's Rights Maria Lvova-Belova. They are suspected of forcibly deporting Ukrainian children.