UNO: The International Criminal Court has requested the arrest of Russia's commissioner for children's rights on charges of war crimes, and diplomats say Britain has blocked the UN webcast of a Wednesday informal Security Council meeting as a result.

Russia has indicated that Maria Lvova-Belova, the commissioner, will speak at the meeting in a note that was seen by Reuters on Tuesday. The note informs council members that the discussion about Ukraine will centre on "evacuating children from conflict zone."

These gatherings take place at the UN's main office, but not in the Security Council room, and briefings can be conducted virtually. To be webcast by the UN, it requires approval from all 15 council members.

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According to diplomats, Russia refused to confirm who would brief, so Britain blocked the webcast. Dmitry Polyanskiy, the deputy UN ambassador for Russia, tweeted a confirmation of the British action.

Invoking the "UK censorship clause," Russia will now prevent UN webcasts of all similar meetings, Polyanskiy wrote. Who will speak at the briefing is still up in the air according to Russia.

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Following Moscow's invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Lvova-Belova last month, accusing them of forcibly removing hundreds of children from their country and illegally transferring people from Ukraine to Russia.

Moscow hasn't tried to hide the existence of a programme that it has used to import thousands of Ukrainian children, but it prefers to portray it as a humanitarian effort to help orphans and abandoned children in conflict areas.

Vassily Nebenzia, Russia's UN ambassador, told reporters last month that the informal Security Council meeting scheduled for this Wednesday had been planned for a long time prior to the ICC's announcement and that it was not intended to refute the accusations against Putin and Lvova-Belova.

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It is uncommon for a UN webcast to be blocked, according to diplomats. However, China last month prevented the UN from broadcasting an informal Security Council meeting on North Korea's human rights violations that was called by the US.