International Criminal Court issues arrest warrants for Russian commanders

International Criminal Court (ICC)

Recently, the International Criminal Court (ICC), based in The Hague, has issued arrest warrants for top Russian commanders, Sergei Ivanovich Kobylash and Viktor Nikolayevich Sokolov. The warrants are linked to alleged war crimes committed in Ukraine, specifically missile strikes against the Ukrainian electric infrastructure.

According to the ICC statement released on Tuesday, there are "reasonable grounds to believe that the two suspects bear responsibility for missile strikes carried out by the forces under their command from at least 10 October 2022 until at least 9 March 2023." The Court emphasized that the civilian harm and damage resulting from these attacks were deemed clearly excessive in relation to any expected military advantage.

This development comes as Ukraine's prosecutors were already investigating potential war crimes following a series of air strikes on the country's energy and utilities infrastructure during the winter campaign. Russia, however, denies intentionally targeting civilian infrastructure in Ukraine, asserting that its attacks aim to weaken Kyiv's ability to fight.