The judges of the International Criminal Court in The Hague have issued arrest warrants for the Chief of General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, Valery Gerasimov, and the former Minister of Defense, Sergei Shoigu. They are suspected of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
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Two arrest warrants were issued at the request of the prosecutor's office. The Pre-Trial Chamber found that there were reasonable grounds to believe that Shoigu and Gerasimov were responsible for the missile attacks carried out by Russian military forces on Ukraine's electrical infrastructure, at least between October 10, 2022, and March 9, 2023. According to the court, during this time, the armed forces of Russia carried out attacks on numerous power plants and substations in different places in Ukraine. "The alleged strikes were aimed at civilian objects," the court noted.
The content of the warrants is confidential to protect witnesses and ensure the investigation.
In the spring of 2023, the Hague Tribunal issued arrest warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Children's Ombudsman Maria Lvova-Belova. The reason for this was the forced transfer of Ukrainian children to Russia. Russia is not a party to the International Criminal Court and does not comply with its requirements. At the same time, any country that has ratified the court's founding document - the Rome Statute - is obliged to arrest wanted persons if they appear on their territory. Apart from Russia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Iran, Kazakhstan, China, Saudi Arabia, the USA, and Turkey do not recognize the jurisdiction of the Hague Court. Armenia joined the Rome Statute last fall.
