"We don't steal children"/ Putin's ex-advisor reacts strongly after the arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court

The International Criminal Court is irresponsible, said Sergei Markov, former adviser and spokesman for Vladimir Putin.

"It is a policy of the Russian government to save children, not to steal children," he said, responding to a court order for Putin's arrest over alleged child abductions.

He claimed that the children were not deported, but moved within Russia, because Ukraine is part of Russian territory.

Parents were allowed to visit their children "every week", he added.

He said he expects more charges from the ICC because it is under the "full control of the European Union" which will continue to spread "fake news".

Markov accused Kiev of committing war crimes, without providing evidence.

A non-governmental organization in Ukraine has estimated that 700,000 children have been deported to Russia since 2014.

Among them was a 15-year-old girl who told Sky News she was invited to a summer camp in Crimea before being told she would not be going home.

She was put on one of 100 buses with 30 to 40 children each, who were expected to sing the Russian national anthem and were not allowed the colors of Ukrainian flags in their bedrooms.