The International Criminal Court orders the arrest of two of Putin's key men

On Tuesday, June 26, the International Criminal Court (ICC) ordered the arrest of two prominent Russian political figures. Former Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of the General Staff, Valery Gerasimov, are accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity between October 2022 and March 2023, during the invasion of Ukraine, according to The New York Times.

In a statement, the Court states that “the foreseeable civilian damages would have been clearly excessive in relation to the anticipated military advantage.” In addition, the two senior officials are also attributed a crime against humanity for “inhuman acts” defined in the Rome Statute, from which Russia withdrew its signature in 2016.

ICC judges understand that the Russians promoted "a large number of attacks against numerous electrical power plants and substations in multiple locations" and believe that the attacks were directed against civilians. They also report that the suspects “intentionally caused great suffering or serious injury to the body, mental or physical health, thus being criminally responsible for crimes against humanity.”

According to CNN, ICC prosecutor Karim Khan accuses Shoigu and Gerasimov of being allegedly "criminally responsible" for having "committed these criminal acts, ordering their commission and/or failing to exercise adequate control over the forces under their command."

According to The New York Times, the Russian Security Council, of which Sergei Shoigu is a member now, called the arrest warrants "pathetic" examples of "the West's hybrid war" against Russia. The comments were provided to the Moscow-based Interfax news agency.

In Ukraine the arrest warrants were received with more enthusiasm, although there is little hope that the accused will face The Hague in the short term. Andriy Kostin, Ukraine's chief prosecutor, believes the decision is “another significant step toward ensuring full accountability for the aggressor,” The New York Times reports.

General Gerasimov is the Chief of the General Staff and, in January 2023, was promoted to lead Russian forces in Ukraine, a position he currently holds. Shoigu was Russia's Defense Minister for 12 years, but was fired and now sits on the Russian Security Council, the country's defense advisory body.

Gerasimov and Shoigu had plans to take Kyiv in the early days of the war, but they failed in their attempt and ended up dragging the two nations into a prolonged confrontation. Despite the fiasco, the two remained at the forefront of the war effort during the first two years of the conflict.

However, Putin's patience seems to have reached its limit. Shoigu's protégés were arrested on corruption charges or fired from their jobs at the Defense Ministry. The actions are seen as an "indirect condemnation" by the Kremlin of Shoigu's performance in the war, The New York Times reports.

This is not the ICC's first action against the Russians. In 2022, the Court ordered the arrest of the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, and the presidential commissioner for Children's Rights in Russia, Maria Lvova-Belova for the kidnapping and deportation of minors from occupied areas of Ukraine to Russia, a war crime according to the Rome Statute.

However, Russia denies its war crimes and does not recognize the orders of the International Criminal Court. By withdrawing its signature from the Rome Statute, the country also does not recognize the court's jurisdiction. With that, according to The New York Times, it is very likely that the accused will not be arrested, at least in the near future.

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