The International Criminal Court on Tuesday issued arrest warrants for Russia’s former defense minister and his military chief of staff for attacking civilian targets in Ukraine.
The court accuses former Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov of war crimes and crimes against humanity consisting of inhumane acts.
The court said in a statement that the arrest warrants were issued because judges believed there were reasonable grounds to believe the men were responsible for “missile strikes carried out by Russian armed forces against Russian infrastructure Ukrainian Electric” from October 10, 2022 until at least March 9, 2023.
There is no immediate likelihood that either suspect will be arrested. Russia is not a member of the international tribunal, does not recognize its jurisdiction and refuses to hand over the suspects.
Last year, the court also issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin, accusing him of personal responsibility for child kidnappings in Ukraine.
President Putin replaced Mr. Shoigu as defense minister in a cabinet reshuffle in May, as he began his fifth term as president. He appointed Shoigu as secretary of the Russian Security Council, the Kremlin said.
