The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant on Tuesday (25 June) for former Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu. He is suspected of being responsible for attacks on civilian targets in Ukraine between October 2022 and March 2023. An arrest warrant has also been issued for Valery Gerasimov, commander-in-chief of the Russian army.
The Hague-based court said in a statement that warrants were issued because judges considered there were reasonable grounds to believe that the men were responsible for “missile strikes carried out by the Russian armed forces against the Ukrainian electric infrastructure” from 10 October 2022 until least 9 March 2023.
Shoigu, who has held the post since 2012, was unexpectedly sidelined as defence minister by President Vladimir Putin last month. However, between 10 October 2022 and 9 March 2023, as minister, he is alleged to have masterminded large-scale Russian missile attacks on Ukrainian power infrastructure, according to the ICC. Russia has repeatedly said Ukraine’s energy infrastructure is a legitimate military target and denies targeting civilians or civilian infrastructure.
According to the ICC, there are 'reasonable grounds' to believe that the attacks targeted 'civilian objects' and that the incidental damage to civilians was 'clearly excessive' compared to the expected military benefit. The ICC, therefore, ruled that Shoygoe's actions violated international humanitarian law by failing to protect civilians during armed conflict.
