Russian Officials Facing Arrest for War Crimes: ICC Issues Warrants for Shoigu and Gerasimov

On Tuesday, the International Criminal Court (ICC) announced that it has issued arrest warrants for two high-ranking Russian officials, Sergei Shoigu and Valery Gerasimov, for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during the invasion of Ukraine between October 2022 and March 2023.

ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan stated that there are reasonable grounds to believe that Shoigu and Gerasimov are responsible for missile attacks carried out by the Russian Armed Forces against Ukrainian electrical infrastructure during the specified time period. These attacks were directed against civilian objects and caused great suffering, leading to the belief that the suspects are criminally responsible for crimes against humanity.

The ICC Preliminary Questions Chamber authorized the public disclosure of these arrest warrants as well as the names of suspects and crimes they are accused of. This marks not only the first time that an arrest warrant has been issued for a military leader in this conflict but also one of many actions taken by international bodies to hold Russia accountable for its actions in Ukraine. In March, arrest warrants were issued for two Russian military personnel, and a year earlier, arrest warrants were issued for Russian dictator Vladimir Putin and Maria Lvova-Belova, Russia’s commissioner for children’s rights. The actions leading to these arrest warrants are defined as war crimes under the Rome Statute.