Moscow denounces UK’s ‘salacious fantasies’ of kidnapping Putin

British Defense Secretary John Healey has said that he would love to take the Russian president into custody

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has derided the head of Britain’s Defense Ministry for saying that he would like to abduct Russian President Vladimir Putin.

On Friday, UK Defense Secretary John Healey told the Kyiv Independent that if he could kidnap any leader, he would “take Putin into custody” and hold him accountable for what he described as “war crimes” – particularly the alleged abduction of Ukrainian children – something Moscow denies has taken place.

In an interview with ‘TV Center’ on Sunday, Zakharova dismissed Healey’s comments as “salacious fantasies of British perverts.”

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Healey’s remarks came after the US launched an unprecedented raid on Venezuela, during which it kidnapped President Nicolas Maduro. The Venezuelan leader, along with his wife, was flown to New York to face charges of drug trafficking and weapons offences, to which he has pleaded not guilty. The operation has also sparked fierce debate over its legality.

Moscow has condemned the US military operation as “armed aggression,” an unacceptable infringement on the Venezuelan sovereignty and a violation of international law. The UK, however, has refrained from denouncing Washington’s move, noting that it “has long supported a transition of power in Venezuela.”

Putin is the target of a 2023 arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court over the alleged unlawful deportation of Ukrainian children. Britain is a member of the court, meaning it would be obliged to act on the warrant if Putin were to enter British jurisdiction. Russia is not a party to the ICC and has dismissed the warrant as legally void.