ICC Issues Warrants for Russian Ex-Minister and Military Chief

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued arrest warrants for Russia’s former Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and its military chief General Valery Gerasimov, accusing them of war crimes and crimes against humanity for attacks on civilian targets in Ukraine.

On Tuesday, the court based in The Hague announced the warrants, stating that judges found reasonable grounds to believe that Shoigu and Gerasimov were responsible for “missile strikes carried out by the Russian armed forces against the Ukrainian electric infrastructure” from October 10, 2022, until at least March 9, 2023.

The ICC accused the two men of war crimes and the crime against humanity of inhumane acts. The court’s statement highlighted that numerous strikes on electric power plants and substations in Ukraine were directed against civilian objects.

“For those installations that may have qualified as military objectives at the relevant time, the expected incidental civilian harm and damage would have been clearly excessive compared to the anticipated military advantage,” the statement added.

Russia has maintained that Ukraine’s energy infrastructure is a legitimate military target and denies targeting civilians or civilian infrastructure.

Last year, the court also issued a warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin, accusing him of personal responsibility for the abductions of children from Ukraine.