The International Criminal Court (ICC) said on Tuesday that it had issued arrest warrants for Russia’s top army general and former defense minister due to attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure that were purported to be the cause of war crimes.
In relation to the conflict in Ukraine, the International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued several warrants, the most recent of which is for the arrest of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The warrants, which were issued on Monday but made public on Tuesday, were for former defense minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of Staff Valery Gerasimov.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) said in a statement that the two individuals are charged with both the crime against humanity of “inhumane acts” in Ukraine and the war crimes of directing attacks at civilian targets and inflicting severe incidental injury to civilians.
The judges of the ICC stated that there were “reasonable grounds to believe that the two suspects bear responsibility for missile strikes carried out by the Russian armed forces against the Ukrainian electric infrastructure from at least 10 October 2022 until at least 9 March 2023.”
Even where targets may be deemed military, the court stated that these strikes were “directed against civilian objects” and that any harm done to civilians “would have been clearly excessive to the anticipated military advantage.”
The chief of staff of the president, Andriy Yermak, praised the “important” choice made by Ukraine, declaring that “everyone will be held accountable for evil.”
