The International Criminal Court (ICC) on March 5 issued arrest warrants for two high-ranking Russian military commanders, finding there were "reasonable grounds" to believe they committed war crimes in the context of Moscow's ongoing war on Ukraine. According to a Court announcement, Sergei Kobylash, a lieutenant general in the Russian armed forces, and Viktor Sokolov, a navy admiral, are accused of having ordered attacks on "civilian objects" and of having caused excessive "incidental civilian harm," in violation of Article 8 of the Rome Statute.

In particular, Kobylash and Sokolov are believed responsible for missile strikes targeting Ukrainian power infrastructure between October 2022 and March 2023. "During this time frame, there was an alleged campaign of strikes against numerous electric power plants and sub-stations, which were carried out by the Russian armed forces in multiple locations in Ukraine," according to the ICC statement.

The warrants were issued in response to complaints by ICC prosecutors, who alleged the two commanders bore responsibility for these war crimes either directly or through failure to exercise adequate control over their forces.

Ukrainian Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin praised the move, stating via X (Twitter):  "[T]his is a historic step, as we are proving once again that the world is united in delivering timely justice for the sake of all victims and survivors of this war."

The warrants were not released publicly due to concerns for witness safety and to safeguard the investigation, according to the Court.

Last March, the ICC issued arrest warrants against Russian President Vladimir Putin and Maria Lvova-Belova, the Putin government's Commissioner for Children's Rights. In a tit-for-tat move two months later, Russian authorities indicted the ICC prosecutor and judges that signed off on these warrants.

From Jurist, Feb. 11. Used with permission.

See our last reports on the International Criminal Court investigation into war crimes claims against Russia.