The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants Tuesday for Russia’s former defense minister, Sergei Shoigu, and its military chief of staff, General Valery Gerasimov. The two are accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity, specifically for allegedly attacking civilian targets in Ukraine.
The ICC’s judges believe there are reasonable grounds to hold Shoigu and Gerasimov responsible for a series of missile strikes on Ukraine’s “electric infrastructure from at least 10 October 2022 until at least 9 March 2023.” These strikes targeted multiple electric power plants and substations across various locations in Ukraine, significantly impacting civilian life.
The charges sought under the Rome Statute include:
- The war crime of directing attacks at civilian objects (article 8(2)(b)(ii) of the Rome Statute),
- The war crime of causing excessive incidental harm to civilians or damage to civilian objects (article 8(2)(b)(iv) of the Rome Statute), and
- The crime against humanity of inhumane acts under article 7(1)(k) of the Rome Statute.
Reactions to the warrants have been swift. The Russian Security Council dismissed the decision, suggesting it is part of the West’s “hybrid war” against Russia and likening the warrants to mere “hot air,” Russian state media Tass reported. Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said:
I welcome today’s arrest warrants issued by [The International Criminal Court] for two key figures in Russian military leadership. Both are accused of committing heinous crimes against civilians in Ukraine during Russia’s reckless bombing of Ukrainian critical civilian infrastructure. These barbaric missile and drone strikes continue to kill people and inflict damage across Ukraine.
The practical impact of these warrants remains uncertain. Russia is not a member of the ICC and does not recognize its jurisdiction. Thus, the immediate detention of Shoigu and Gerasimov appears unlikely, unless they travel to one of the ICC’s 123 member states that are obliged to enforce these warrants.
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