MOSCOW, April 13. /TASS/. State Duma deputies, including its speaker Vyacheslav Volodin and faction leaders, have introduced amendments to the law ‘On Security’ on the right of the Russian president to protect citizens in case foreign or international bodies make illegal decisions, as well as amendments to the Russian Criminal Code on responsibility for helping implement decisions of such organizations, the State Duma press service reported on Thursday.

"Amendments to the federal law 'On Security' were introduced in the State Duma to give the Russian president the power to protect Russian citizens if foreign or international bodies make decisions that contravene Russian law, as well as amendments to the Russian Criminal Code meant to stipulate liability for assisting in the execution of decisions by such organizations," the statement said.

"This decision will allow us to protect the country from illegal, unfriendly and aggressive actions on the part of various international organizations," the press service quoted Volodin as saying.

The Duma speaker had instructed that these amendments be drafted at a meeting to introduce legislative amendments banning the activities of the International Criminal Court (ICC) within the Russian Federation. Volodin and the leaders of all Duma factions were among the authors of the initiatives.

On March 17, the ICC issued arrest warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russian Presidential Commissioner for Children’s Rights Maria Lvova-Belova, alleging that they were responsible for the unlawful deportation of Ukrainian children. When commenting on the decision, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov pointed out that Russia did not recognize the ICC. In turn, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that the decisions of the ICC had no significance for Russia whatsoever, while any potential arrest warrants would be legally null and void.

The International Criminal Court, established under the 1998 Rome Statute, brings together 123 nations. Those countries that are not signatories to the Rome Statute include Russia (which has signed but not ratified the document), the United States (signed the Statute but later revoked its signature) and China (has not signed the Statute). In November 2016, President Putin signed an order officially stating that Russia did not plan to become an ICC member. According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, the court has failed to establish itself as a genuinely independent, credible body of international jurisprudence.