The Hague: The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for former Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of Army Staff General Valery Gerasimov for crimes committed during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The International Criminal Court said that former Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Army General Gerasimov committed war crimes and crimes against humanity by launching unjustified missile attacks on civilians and their property in Ukraine.
ICC judges said there were reasonable grounds to believe the two had also claimed responsibility for missile attacks on residential buildings in Ukraine by Russian armed forces.
Ukraine welcomed this initiative of the International Criminal Court, saying that it is the first step towards justice, but Russia called this decision of the International Court meaningless.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said that every criminal involved in the planning and execution of these attacks should know that justice will be done and we hope to see them behind bars.
The Security Council of Russia termed the decision of the International Court of Justice as a hybrid war of the West against Russia, saying that it is just a breeze. It does not fall under the jurisdiction of the ICC.
It should be noted that after the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for two more important Russian figures, this number increased to 8. Earlier, the court has issued arrest warrants for 6 people including the Russian President.
The Russian president was accused of forcibly bringing Ukrainian children to Russia.
Russia is not a member of the International Criminal Court and, while denying targeting civilians or civilian infrastructure, has repeatedly maintained that Ukraine’s infrastructure is a legitimate military target.
Like Russia, Ukraine is not a member of the International Criminal Court, but since November 2013 it has authorized the prosecution of Russian war crimes committed on its soil.
It should be noted that Russian troops entered Ukraine in February 2022 and since then the war has been going on, in which millions of people have been displaced and more than 5 thousand people have been killed.
