International Criminal Court issues arrest warrants for Russia’s top general, former defense minister

The International Criminal Court (ICC) on Tuesday issued arrest warrants for former Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Valery Gerasimov, Russia’s top general, accusing them of war crimes in connection with civilian attacks in Ukraine.

Shoigu and Gerasimov are accused of “directing attacks on civilian objects” and “causing excessive incidental harm to civilians or damage to civilian objects” along with the “crime against humanity of inhumane acts”, the Hague-based ICC said. in a statement. Press release.

Specifically, the ICC said there was sufficient evidence that both Gerasimov and Shoigu are responsible for directing attacks between October 10, 2022, and at least March 9, 2023, on Ukrainian energy infrastructure, which has been a key strategy employed by the Russian forces during the war.

Targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure is a war crime under the Geneva Conventions, and the ICC stated that for any potential lawful targets under the Russian operation, the likelihood of civilian harm outweighed the military objective of the strikes.

The arrest warrants were issued by a panel of three ICC judges after the prosecution in court presented evidence in the case.

Shoigu was Russia’s defense minister for years before Russian President Vladimir Putin named him Security Council secretary last month. Gerasimov has been Russia’s chief of staff since 2012; he became the top commander overseeing the war in Ukraine in early 2023.

The ICC last year also issued arrest warrants for Putin and his children’s rights commissioner, Maria Lvova-Belova, for the alleged deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia.

An active warrant means that any state that is party to the ICC is required to arrest the individual, which could restrict Shoigu and Gerasimov’s travel. Russia is not a party to the court.

The US has previously supported the ICC’s arrest warrant against Putin and is likely to do the same with Shoigu and Gerasimov. But the US is not part of the ICC and criticized the court last month after the top prosecutor announced that he was seeking arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. along with senior Hamas officials, for related alleged war crimes. to the war in Gaza.

This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story