The International Criminal Court (ICC) announced on Tuesday that it had issued arrest warrants for Russia’s army chief and former defense minister for alleged war crimes related to strikes on Ukrainian infrastructure. The warrants, issued on Monday and disclosed the following day, targeted Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov and former defense minister Sergei Shoigu.
The ICC accuses them of directing attacks on civilian targets and causing excessive harm to civilians, alongside charges of “inhumane acts” as a crime against humanity in Ukraine. The court specified that missile strikes by Russian forces on Ukrainian electrical infrastructure from October 10, 2022, to March 9, 2023, led to civilian casualties disproportionate to any military objectives.
Ukraine welcomed the decision, with President Volodymyr Zelensky expressing hope that Gerasimov and Shoigu would be brought to justice. In response, Russia dismissed the warrants as insignificant, asserting that the ICC lacks jurisdiction over Russia and accusing the move of being part of a broader Western campaign against the country.
The ICC, headquartered in The Hague, relies on its member states’ justice systems to enforce arrest warrants, lacking its own police force. Despite the warrants, Russian President Vladimir Putin, also implicated by the ICC, has traveled to countries that are not ICC members, evading potential arrest.
