Russian leaders were quickly critical of the arrest warrant that the International Criminal Court issued for President Vladimir Putin based on alleged crimes committed in Ukraine.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that the ICC's warrant, which was announced on Friday, was "null and void" because Russia did not recognize the court's jurisdiction, a position he adamantly reaffirmed.

INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT PREPARING INVESTIGATION INTO RUSSIA FOR WAR CRIMES

"We consider the very formulation of the issue outrageous and unacceptable. Russia, as well as several other states, do not recognize the jurisdiction of this court and, accordingly, any decisions of this kind are null and void for Russia in terms of law," Peskov said, according to Russian state media outlet TASS. "That is, in fact, the only thing I would and could tell you about this decision."

The ICC announced the arrest warrant for Putin, which is the first from the court pertaining to the war in Ukraine, and accused him of being responsible for the thousands of children who have been forcibly deported to Russia, where they've undergone political reeducation training.

"The human impact of these crimes was also made clear during my most recent visit to Ukraine. While there, I visited one of the care homes from which children were allegedly taken, close to the current front lines of the conflict," ICC prosecutor Karim Khan, who has visited Ukraine four times since the war began, said. "The accounts of those who had cared for these children, and their fears as to what had become of them, underlined the urgent need for action. We must ensure that those responsible for alleged crimes are held accountable and that children are returned to their families and communities. As I stated at the time, we cannot allow children to be treated as if they are the spoils of war."

Maria Alekseyevna Lvova-Belova, Russia's presidential commissioner for children’s rights, also faces an arrest warrant, as the ICC says she also shared responsibility for the deportations.

"It's great that the international community has appreciated the work to help the children of our country, that we do not leave them in the war zones, that we take them out, that we create good conditions for them, that we surround them with loving, caring people,” the commissioner said, according to CNN.

ICC President Judge Piotr Hofmanski said in a video statement that the judges involved in the case decided to publicize the warrants "in the interest of justice and to prevent the commission of future crimes."

The U.S. Treasury said in September: "Lvova-Belova’s efforts specifically include the forced adoption of Ukrainian children into Russian families, the so-called 'patriotic education' of Ukrainian children, legislative changes to expedite the provision of Russian Federation citizenship to Ukrainian children, and the deliberate removal of Ukrainian children by Russia’s forces."

The ICC was created more than two decades ago to investigate war crimes, claims of genocide, and crimes against humanity, and while 123 countries adhere to the court, the United States, Russia, and Ukraine are not among them, though Ukraine has granted it jurisdiction over its territory. The court does not, however, conduct trials in absentia, meaning it's unlikely Putin will ever face a trial.

Most often, the people who are tried by the Hague are recently deposed leaders who lost a war or power struggle and are delivered to the ICC by the victor, according to the New York Times, meaning that Putin wouldn't see a trial unless Russia faced regime change. This problem, which is not new, has often resulted in alleged war crimes going unpunished for the actions.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

Beth Van Schaack, the U.S. ambassador at large for global criminal justice, shared that sentiment with lawmakers last May.

"If they don't leave Russia, they enjoy impunity for the end of their days. And so you know, that's the reality of the situation. There is no international police force who can go and cross sovereign territory and arrest them," she said at the time. "However, you know, those of us in this business are playing a long game, and there will be jurisdiction over these individuals virtually anywhere they would go because so many states have incorporated within their domestic penal codes the ability to prosecute war crimes and crimes against humanity, regardless of the nationality of the perpetrator or the place of commission."