Maria Lvova-Belova, Russia's children's rights commissioner, told the newspaper Vedomosti that after the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for her, unknown individuals attempted to kidnap her on several occasions. According to her, "sabotage was being prepared" in various regions and "some people were being caught."
Lvova-Belova clarified that the attempts were not assassination plots. "They need me alive. A capture, so that I would testify against the president. They have no evidence base at all," she said. Following these incidents, the ombudsman was assigned personal security. There had been no previous public reports that security services had thwarted kidnapping attempts.
The ombudsman also said that after the news of the warrant, she was afraid, primarily for the children. According to her, she feared she could be arrested in the 123 countries that recognize the ICC's jurisdiction, even during an emergency plane landing. Lvova-Belova added that for the past four years she has been living "in a position of justification," as she faced distrust and hints from officials within Russia, and that she and her family receive threats and insults.
She called the information about her involvement in the removal of Ukrainian children to Russia "fakes" and "demonization." She claims that Russian authorities "never did anything" to avoid returning children to their parents, and that since the start of the war, 177 children have been reunited with their families in Russia, Ukraine, and third countries. Lvova-Belova also said that Russian authorities now blur children's faces in photos on social media to prevent Ukrainian volunteers from searching for the deported children.
In March 2023, the ICC issued arrest warrants for Vladimir Putin and Maria Lvova-Belova. They are accused of the illegal deportation of Ukrainian children from occupied territories of Ukraine to Russia.