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The Hague Court issued arrest warrants against Sergei Shoigu, Minister of Defense of Russia until last May, and Valeri Gerasimov, current Chief of the General Staff. Both They are accused of committing war crimes during the invasion of Ukraine, playing key roles in the execution of Russian military plans.
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The Court’s accusations focus on crimes committed between October 2022 and March 2023. Shoigu and Gerasimov are accused of directing direct attacks against civilian targets and for not adequately controlling the actions of the military forces under their command.
In particular, they are held responsible for a series of attacks that damaged Ukraine’s electrical infrastructurewhich according to international law, has put the health and safety of the population at serious risk, especially the elderly and children.
This action by the Hague Court adds to the already existing arrest warrants against other Russian leaders in relation to the war in Ukraine. In March 2023, similar orders were issued against Russian President Vladimir Putin and Maria Lvova-Belova, Commissioner for Children’s Rights in the Office of the President of the Russian Federation. Both were accused of violating international law by allegedly ordering the kidnapping of Ukrainian children to transport them to Russian territory.
The implication of these judicial decisions is that any country that recognizes the jurisdiction of the Hague Court is obliged to arrest these senior Russian officials if they arrive on its territory. This mandate expands international pressure on Russian leaders involved in the Ukraine war.
Shoigu and Gerasimov have been controversial and criticized figures within Russia itself. Shoigu, ousted in May, and Gerasimov, current commander-in-chief of Russian forces in Ukraine, have been under sanctions from the European Union and the United States since the beginning of the invasion of Ukraine and, in the case of Gerasimov, since 2014 in relation to the European Union.
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Both soldiers were the target of harsh criticism from the mercenary Yevgeny Prigozhin, leader of the Wagner Group, who accused them of cowardice during the sieges in Ukrainian cities.
These new arrest warrants from the Hague Tribunal highlight the continuing search for accountability for acts committed in the Ukrainian conflict and underline the determination of the international community to pursue justice in the midst of the devastating war.
