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 the former Minister of Defense Sergei Shoigu and Chief of Staff Gen. Valery Gerasimov of war crimes and the crime against humanity of inhumane acts.
The court said in a statement that arrest warrants were issued because judges believed there were reasonable grounds to believe that the men are responsible for “missile attacks carried out by the Russian armed forces on Ukrainian electrical infrastructure” from October 10, 2022 until at least March 9, 2023.
“During this period, a large number of attacks were carried out on numerous power plants and substations by the Russian armed forces in multiple locations in Ukraine,” the court added.
Last year, the court also issued an arrest warrant for the Russian president Vladimir Putinaccusing him of personal responsibility for the kidnappings of children from Ukraine.
