The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued arrest warrants for Russia’s former defense minister Sergei Shoigu and military chief General Valery Gerasimov. They are accused of directing missile strikes against civilian targets in Ukraine.
The ICC, based in The Hague, announced on Tuesday that the warrants were issued because judges found reasonable grounds to believe the men were responsible for missile strikes carried out by the Russian armed forces against Ukraine’s electric infrastructure from October 10, 2022, until at least March 9, 2023. The court accused Shoigu and Gerasimov of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
“During this timeframe, a large number of strikes against numerous electric power plants and substations were carried out by the Russian armed forces in multiple locations in Ukraine,” the court’s statement said. The judges found that these strikes were likely directed against civilian objects. Even for installations that might have been military objectives, the expected civilian harm and damage were deemed clearly excessive compared to the anticipated military advantage.
Russia has defended its actions, claiming Ukraine’s energy infrastructure is a legitimate military target and denying targeting civilians. However, in March, the ICC issued arrest warrants for two other high-ranking Russian military officers for similar charges linked to attacks on civilian infrastructure.
Al Jazeera’s Step Vassen reported from Amsterdam that the court’s announcement was unexpected. The arrest warrants mean that any countries which have signed the Rome Statute must arrest Shoigu and Gerasimov if they enter their territories and bring them to The Hague. It is expected that the officials will avoid traveling to these countries.
Russia is not a member of the ICC, does not recognize its jurisdiction, and refuses to hand over suspects. President Vladimir Putin replaced Shoigu as defense minister in a cabinet shake-up in May, appointing him as secretary of Russia’s Security Council.
The Security Council responded on Tuesday by labeling the ICC’s arrest warrant for Shoigu as part of a hybrid war against Moscow, according to the state-run news agency TAS.
