Information
The International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague has issued arrest warrants for former Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and current military Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov. These charges are related to alleged crimes during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, particularly for their roles in directing missile strikes against Ukraine’s electric infrastructure from October 10, 2022, to March 9, 2023. The court believes there are reasonable grounds to hold Shoigu and Gerasimov responsible for these actions, categorizing them as war crimes and crimes against humanity due to the targeting of civilians and civilian objects.
These charges add to the broader context of ICC actions against Russian officials, including President Vladimir Putin, who is already facing an ICC arrest warrant for the alleged forced relocation of Ukrainian children to Russia. Despite these charges, Russia, not being a full signatory to the ICC, typically does not extradite its citizens, raising doubts about whether Shoigu and Gerasimov will ever stand trial. Shoigu, who was recently dismissed from his role and reassigned to Russia’s security council, and Gerasimov were among Putin’s most senior defence officials, highlighting the high-level nature of these accusations.
Source: Reuters, AP
So what
While no doubt justified it is unlikely this move will do anything more than aggravate the Kremlin and restrict any movement by the two generals (something that was already highly unlikely). Additionally, this puts an end to rumours that Shoigu may defect following his removal as it is highly unlikely he would willing to go to a country that may end up selling him out to the ICC.
Follow us to join the intelligence community!