THE HAGUE,Netherlands-The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued arrest warrants for Russia’s former Defence Minister and its Military Chief due to their involvement in attacking civilian targets in Ukraine. According to a statement from the Hague-based court on Tuesday, the warrants were issued based on reasonable grounds to believe that these men were responsible for missile strikes carried out by the Russian armed forces against Ukrainian electric infrastructure between October 10, 2022, and at least March 9, 2023.
During this period, numerous strikes targeted electric power plants and sub-stations across multiple locations in Ukraine. The ICC accuses former Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and General Valery Gerasimov of war crimes and the crime against humanity of inhumane acts. The court’s judges have determined that there are reasonable grounds to believe that these alleged strikes were directed at civilian objects.”
For installations that might have qualified as military objectives during the relevant period, the expected incidental harm to civilians and damage would have clearly exceeded any anticipated military advantage,” the statement added.
Russia has consistently maintained that Ukraine’s energy infrastructure constitutes a legitimate military target and denies deliberately targeting civilians or civilian infrastructure.
