The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued arrest
warrants against two high-ranking Russian military figures, accusing them of
war crimes against Ukrainian civilians.
Sergei Kobylash, a lieutenant-general in the Russian Armed
Forces, and Viktor Sokolov, an admiral in the Russian Navy, were the pair
listed in the warrant.
The ICC said they are responsible for war crimes of
directing attacks at civilians, causing excessive harm to civilians and the
crime against humanity of inhumane acts.
The court, based in The Hague, the Netherlands, pointed to
strikes by Moscow against electric power plants and substations, which were
carried out by the Russian armed forces in multiple locations during its war in
Ukraine.
Its Tuesday ruling furthered the international community’s
efforts to bring justice against top-ranking Russians for Moscow’s war in
Ukraine, which crossed the two-year mark last month.
Last March, the ICC issued an arrest warrant against Russian
President Vladimir Putin and top official Maria Lvova-Belova, for an alleged
scheme to deport Ukrainian children to Russia.
The new warrants mark the first time military commanders
have been charged.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky welcomed the move.
“Every perpetrator of such crimes must know that they will be held
accountable,” he wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. “International justice
requires time, but it is unavoidable.”
Sokolov has been Russia’s commander for its Crimea-basedBlack Sea fleet since August 2022.
The international community has long accused Russia of
committing war crimes in its attacks on Ukraine’s cities and towns, and on key
civilian infrastructure.
In December, four Russian soldiers were revealed to have
been charged with war crimes against an American who was living in Ukraine
during the Russian invasion, according to a historic indictment unsealed in
federal court in Virginia.
The case against the Russian soldiers marked the first time the
US government has used a decades-old law aimed at prosecuting those who commit
war crimes against American citizens.
Russia – like the US, Ukraine and China – is not a member of
the ICC. As the court does not conduct trials in absentia, any Russian officials
charged would either have to be handed over by Moscow or arrested outside of
Russia.
The Kremlin has always dismissed accusations of war crimes.
Located in The Hague, Netherlands, and created by a treaty
called the Rome Statute first brought before the United Nations, the ICC
operates independently. Most countries on Earth – 123 of them – are parties to
the treaty, but there are notable exceptions, including Russia.
The ICC is meant to be a court of “last resort” and is not
meant to replace a country’s justice system. The court, which has 18 judges
serving nine-year terms, tries four types of crimes: genocide, crimes against
humanity, crimes of aggression and war crimes.
