ICC issues arrest warrants for two Russian officials for alleged war crimes in Ukraine

The International Criminal Court on Tuesday issued arrest warrants for two Russian officials over alleged war crimes during the ongoing Ukraine War. 

The court has accused former Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Russian general Valery Gerasimov of committing war crimes and violating international law over the country's invasion of Ukraine, according to Axios.

The warrants accuse both Shoigu and Gerasimov of "directing attacks at civilian objects" and "causing excessive incidental harm to civilians or damage to civilian objects," according to a press release from the ICC.

"Pre-Trial Chamber II found that there are reasonable grounds to believe that the alleged strikes were directed against civilian objects, and for those installations that may have qualified as military objectives at the relevant time, the expected incidental civilian harm and damage would have been clearly excessive to the anticipated military advantage," the release stated.

Last month, the ICC sought arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Hamas leaders amid the ongoing war in the Middle East.

In 2023, moreover, the ICC issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin over an alleged scheme to forcibly deport Ukrainian children from the country.