The international court requests the arrest of 2 Russian officers for the attacks on the infrastructure of Ukraine

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants Tuesday for two senior Russian military officers on charges related to attacks on civilian infrastructure in Ukraine that judges said took place in accordance with state policy.

It is the second time the global court has publicly announced arrest warrants related to him Russia's war in Ukraine. In March 2023, the court issued an arrest warrant for the Russian President Vladimir Putin for war crimes, accusing him of personal responsibility for child abductions from Ukraine.

On Tuesday, the court announced the warrant for Russian General Sergei Ivanovich Kobylash, who was commander of the Air Force's Long-Range Aviation at the time of the alleged crimes. Also in search is adm. of the Russian Navy Viktor Kinolayevich Sokolov, who was the commander of the Black Sea Fleet.

They are wanted for the war crime of directing attacks against civilian objects, causing excessive casual injury to civilians or damage to civilian objects, and the crime against humanity of inhumane acts.

I have repeatedly emphasized that those responsible for actions affecting innocent civilians or protected objects must know that such behavior is limited by a set of rules reflected in international humanitarian law, the ICC prosecutor said in a statement. of Karim Khan. All wars have rules. These rules bind everyone without exception.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the arrest warrants should serve as a warning to other senior Russian leaders.

Any Russian commander who orders attacks against Ukrainian civilians and critical infrastructure should know that justice will be served. Every perpetrator of such crimes should know that they will be held accountable, Zelenskyy wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

Ukrainian Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin welcomed the orders, saying they were supported by evidence provided by Ukrainian agencies. He called them another historic moment in ensuring justice for all victims and survivors of this war.

Kostin also welcomed the charge of crimes against humanity, the first by the ICC in its investigation into Ukraine. He said the crimes were committed on a massive scale far from the front lines and without any military justification.

The court said judges who reviewed evidence presented by prosecutors said there are reasonable grounds to believe the two men are responsible for rocket attacks carried out by forces under their command against Ukraine's electrical infrastructure from October 10, 2022 to at least March 9, 2023.

During this time frame, there was an alleged campaign of attacks against many power plants and electrical substations, which were carried out by the Russian armed forces in many places in Ukraine, the court said.

Russian forces have repeatedly targeted Ukrainian infrastructure since the start of their occupation more than two years ago.

The court said the campaign qualifies as a course of conduct involving multiple acts against a civilian population in accordance with a state policy.

The judges found reasonable grounds to believe that the alleged attacks were directed against civilian objects and for those installations which could have been designated as military targets at the relevant time, the expected casualty and collateral damage to civilians would clearly have outweighed the advantage. provided military. .

Kobylash is the head of the Russian air force's Long-Range Aviation Command, which reportedly includes both Tu-95 bombers and Tu-160 supersonic bombers.

Russian war bloggers reported that Sokolov was fired from his post last month, although there has been no official confirmation yet. Reports of the Sokolovs' firing followed the loss of a Russian amphibious assault ship and a missile corvette, which were sunk by Ukrainian naval drones last month.

It is unlikely that any of the suspects will surrender to face trial in The Hague. Russia is not a member of the global court, does not recognize its jurisdiction and refuses to hand over suspects charged by the court.

The court did not release details of the arrest warrants, to protect witnesses and protect the investigation.

But she said she published the arrest warrants knowing that conduct similar to that dealt with in the current situation, which constitutes a violation of international humanitarian law, is alleged to be ongoing and saying publication could contribute to preventing further commission of crimes.

When it issued an arrest warrant for Putin last year, the court also issued another for Maria Lvova-Belova, the commissioner for children's rights in the Office of the President of the Russian Federation on the same charges of involvement in child abductions.

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