The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued arrest warrants for Sergei Shoigu, the former Russian defense minister, and leading Russian general Valery Gerasimov.
The Hague-based court said both men were suspected of having committed war crimes and crimes against humanity for directing attacks against civilians and civilian objects in Ukraine.
Since the ICC has no police force of its own and relies on member states to make arrests, it is unclear if any of the Russian suspects will ever stand trial.
Russia has a policy of not extraditing its nationals, and the ICC, the world’s first permanent war crimes court, has no provisions in place that would allow for in absentia trials.
Kyiv welcomed the court’s move, but Moscow dismissed it as legally meaningless.
The ICC said in a statement published on Tuesday that its judges had found 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” between October 10, 2022, and at least March 9, 2023.
Russia, which is not a member of the ICC, has repeatedly said Ukraine’s energy infrastructure is a legitimate military target but denies targeting civilians.
Ukraine is also not a member of the court but has granted the ICC jurisdiction to prosecute crimes committed on its territory since November 2013.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said: “Every criminal involved in the planning and executing these strikes must know that justice will be served.
“And we do hope to see them behind bars.”
Russia’s powerful Security Council (SCRF) said the court’s move was part of a “hybrid war” against Moscow.
“This is just shooting the breeze, since the jurisdiction of the ICC does not extend to Russia, and [the decision to issue more arrest warrants] was made as part of the hybrid war of the West against our country,” state news agency TASS quoted the council as saying.
Composed of Russia’s top state officials and heads of defense and security agencies and chaired by the president, the Security Council acts as a forum for coordinating and integrating national security policy.
Shoigu has been a long-standing friend and ally of Putin and played a key role in the war against Ukraine. He was removed from his post as defense minister last month and appointed secretary of the SCRF, marking the most significant change Putin has made to his military command since the invasion.
Since the ICC has no police force of its own and relies on member states to make arrests, it is unclear if any of the Russian suspects will ever stand trial.
Russia has a policy of not extraditing its nationals, and the ICC, the world’s first permanent war crimes court, has no provisions in place that would allow for in absentia trials.
Kyiv welcomed the court’s move, but Moscow dismissed it as legally meaningless.
The ICC said in a statement published on Tuesday that its judges had found 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” between October 10, 2022, and at least March 9, 2023.
The ICC’s move brings to eight the number of arrest warrants issued against senior Russian suspects since Moscow sent troops into Ukraine in February 2022. These include Russian President Vladimir Putin, who faces charges over the deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia.Situation in #Ukraine: #ICC judges issue arrest warrants against Sergei Kuzhugetovich Shoigu and Valery Vasilyevich Gerasimov. Learn more ⤵️ https://t.co/fEbWyOnTsC
— Int'l Criminal Court (@IntlCrimCourt) June 25, 2024
Russia, which is not a member of the ICC, has repeatedly said Ukraine’s energy infrastructure is a legitimate military target but denies targeting civilians.
Ukraine is also not a member of the court but has granted the ICC jurisdiction to prosecute crimes committed on its territory since November 2013.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said: “Every criminal involved in the planning and executing these strikes must know that justice will be served.
“And we do hope to see them behind bars.”
Russia’s powerful Security Council (SCRF) said the court’s move was part of a “hybrid war” against Moscow.
“This is just shooting the breeze, since the jurisdiction of the ICC does not extend to Russia, and [the decision to issue more arrest warrants] was made as part of the hybrid war of the West against our country,” state news agency TASS quoted the council as saying.
Composed of Russia’s top state officials and heads of defense and security agencies and chaired by the president, the Security Council acts as a forum for coordinating and integrating national security policy.
Shoigu has been a long-standing friend and ally of Putin and played a key role in the war against Ukraine. He was removed from his post as defense minister last month and appointed secretary of the SCRF, marking the most significant change Putin has made to his military command since the invasion.
Source: Reuters
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