The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for top Russian officials over attacks on Ukrainian civilian targets.
On Tuesday, the court accused former Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and chief of staff General Valery Gerasimov of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
In a statement, court officials announced that warrants had been issued as judges believe there are reasonable grounds that the two men are responsible for “missile strikes carried out by the Russian armed forces against the Ukrainian electric infrastructure”.
The dates for the crimes were said to range from 10 October 2022 to 9 March 2023.
“During this time frame, a large number of strikes against numerous electric power plants and sub-stations were carried out by the Russian armed forces in multiple locations in Ukraine,” the court said.
Despite the news that warrants have been issued, the likelihood of either suspect being immediately detained is improbable.
Russia is not a member of the ICC, does not recognise its jurisdiction and has refused to hand over suspects in the past.
Other prominent Russian figures who have had warrants issued towards them include President Vladimir Putin — who was accused by the ICC last year of abducting children from Ukraine.
Russian official Maria Lvova-Belova was also indicted as part of that alleged scheme to deport thousands of Ukrainian children to Russia.
Shoigu was removed by Putin from the defence ministry in a cabinet shakeup in May. He was reappointed to the post of secretary of Russia’s Security Council.
