Calling President Putin's Arrest Warrant Disgraceful, Head of Russian Intelligence: ICC Becomes Propaganda Garbage Dumping Site

JAKARTA - Director of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) Sergey Naryshkin condemned the decision by the International Criminal Court (ICC) to issue a warrant for the arrest of Russian President Vladimir Putin as "shameful".

"This is, of course, a humiliating decision from a 'kangaroo court' style court that has fallen under the thumb of the West," Naryshkin told reporters on Tuesday in Minsk, Belarus, as quoted by TASS, April 5.

"This decision, in my opinion, has turned the International Criminal Court, which has so little authority, into a dumping ground for propaganda," Naryshkin criticized.

"What will be the impact on other countries? If we are not talking about the Western world, but about the countries of the so-called Global South, I believe that the situation there will be completely opposite to the expectations of Western capitals," said the head of Russian intelligence.

According to him, the credibility of the ICC will continue to decline for these countries and they will try to stay as far away from this 'kangaroo court' style body as possible.

The ICC issued arrest warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Commissioner for Children's Rights Maria Lvova-Belova on charges of "unlawful deportation" of Ukrainian children on March 17.

Commenting on the decision, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Moscow does not recognize the ICC's jurisdiction.

"We witnessed a number of clear hostile displays towards our country and towards our president," Peskov told a news conference.

"We took notes, but if we take everything to heart, nothing good will come of it. Therefore, we look at this calmly, record everything with great attention and continue to work," Peskov continued.

In reaction, Russia's Investigative Committee opened a criminal case against prosecutors and judges at the International Criminal Court (ICC), which issued an arrest warrant against Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"The Russian Investigative Committee opened a criminal case against the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court Karim Ahmad Khan, judges of the International Criminal Court Tomoko Akane, Rosario Salvatore Aitala and Sergio Gerardo Ugalde Godinez," it said in a statement two weeks ago.