The International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague has issued an arrest warrant for Russia's former Defence Minister, Sergey Shoigu.
General Staff Chief Valeriy Gerasimov is also subject to an arrest order.
Shoigu and Gerasimov are accused of war crimes, including causing excessive harm to civilians or civilian objects, and crimes against humanity through inhumane acts, according to a statement from the ICC on Tuesday.
The arrest warrants have been issued because the judges believe there are reasonable grounds to suspect that the two are responsible for "rocket attacks carried out by the Russian armed forces against Ukraine's electrical infrastructure" from 10 October 2022 to at least 9 March 2023.
"During this period, a large number of attacks were carried out against several power plants and transformer stations by the Russian armed forces at several locations in Ukraine," the court writes in a statement.
Obligation to Arrest
Details about the content of the arrest warrants are classified to protect witnesses and the progress of the investigations, writes the ICC.
The arrest warrant means that the 120 countries that have signed the so-called Rome Statute are obliged to arrest Shoigu and Gerasimov if they set foot in any of the countries.
However, the chances of this happening are considered very small. Russia and several countries with good relations with Russia have not signed the Rome Statute, which is the founding document of the ICC.
Ukraine Welcomes
According to Russia's Security Council, the arrest warrant is "unimportant", writes Russian state news agency Tass. Ukraine, however, welcomes the ICC's decision.
"Every criminal involved in the planning and execution of these attacks must know that justice will be served. And we really hope to see them behind bars", writes Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky on X.
"We look forward to more arrest warrants to deprive Russia of its sense of impunity. The sense that has fueled Russian crimes for decades. Accountability is the only way to stop them", he writes.
The Ukrainian presidential administration's chief of staff, Andrij Jermak, writes that Shoigu and Gerasimov bear individual responsibility.
"This is an important decision. Everyone will be held accountable for the evil", he writes on the messaging service Telegram.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has been subject to an international arrest warrant issued by the ICC, which accuses him of being personally responsible for the abduction of children from Ukraine.
