ICC Issues Arrest Warrants for Top Russian Officials

The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for former Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and General Valery Gerasimov. They are accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity for attacks on Ukrainian civilian infrastructure. Russia denies targeting civilians and views the infrastructure as legitimate military targets.

The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Sergei Shoigu, the former Russian defence minister, and leading Russian general Valery Gerasimov on Tuesday for alleged crimes committed during Russia's invasion of Ukraine. In a press release, the court said 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 from at least 10 October 2022 until at least 9 March 2023". The Russian officials were suspected of having committed war crimes and crimes against humanity for directing attacks against civilians and civilian objects in Ukraine.

Russia, which like Ukraine is not a member of the ICC, has repeatedly said Ukraine's energy infrastructure is a legitimate military target and denies targeting civilians or civilian infrastructure.

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