The International Criminal Court (ICC) today issued an arrest warrant for former Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, as well as the senior Russian general Valery Gerasimov, chief of the General Staff, for alleged war crimes in Ukraine, was handed over by world agencies, BTA reported.
A court statement said the arrest warrants were issued based on the judges' determination that there was reasonable suspicion that the two men were responsible for "missile strikes by Russian armed forces against Ukrainian energy infrastructure." ; between October 10, 2022, and March 9, 2023. "During this time period, the Russian armed forces carried out many strikes against a large number of power plants and substations in a number of locations in Ukraine,”, the statement added.
Shoigu and Gerasimov are suspected of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity, as they led attacks against citizens and civilian objects in Ukraine. There is no immediate possibility that any of them will be detained, as Russia does not recognize the jurisdiction of the ICC and refuses to extradite the persons suspected by the court, notes the Associated Press.
Last year, the ICC issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin on charges that he was personally responsible for child abductions in Ukraine, Reuters recalls.
Russia has repeatedly said that Ukraine's energy infrastructure is a legitimate military target and denies that it has attacked civilians or civilian infrastructure.
In May of this year, shortly after the start of his fifth presidential term, Putin made changes to the leadership of the Ministry of Defense and replaced Shoigu with economist Andrei Belousov. Shoigu was appointed secretary of the Security Council of Russia.