Tuesday, 2 Jul ‘24

ICC Judges Issues Arrest Warrants Against Former Russian Defence Minister and Chief of Staff 

On June 24, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued warrants for the arrest of former Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation Valery Gerasimov.  

“Pre-Trial Chamber II considered that there are reasonable grounds to believe that the two suspects bear responsibility for missile strikes carried out by the Russian armed forces against the Ukrainian electric infrastructure from at least 10 October 2022 until at least 9 March 2023,’ the court notice read. “During this time-frame, a large number of strikes against numerous electric power plants and sub-stations were carried out by the Russian armed forces in multiple locations in Ukraine.” 

This is the ICC’s third round of warrants for Russian officials related to the war in Ukraine. The first were issued in March 2023 against President Vladimir Putin and his children's rights commissioner Maria Lvova-Belova over the deportation of Ukrainian children. In March 2024 the ICC issued arrest warrants against army lieutenant general Sergei Kobylash and Viktor Sokolov, a navy admiral, for "missile strikes carried out by the forces under their command against the Ukrainian electric infrastructure”. 

ECHR: Evidence Russia Committed “Multiple” Violations in Crimea 

Russia committed multiple human rights violations in Crimea since it annexed the peninsula in 2014, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) said on June 25 in a case b. 

The breaches include violations of the right to life, freedom of religion and freedom of expression among others, the court said in its ruling. 

The case, brought by Ukraine, also concerns allegations of a pattern of persecution of Ukrainians for pro-Kyiv political activity which occurred predominantly in Crimea but also in other parts of Ukraine or in the Russian Federation. 

Life Imprisonment for Murder of Ukrainian POW 

On June 13, the Desnyan district court of Chernihiv sentenced 37-year-old Russian soldier Arzhaan Sat, from the Republic of Tyva, to life imprisonment in absentia. The court found him guilty of violating the laws and customs of war, combined with intentional homicide (Part 2 of Article 28, Part 2 of Article 438 of the criminal code of Ukraine). It found that he had murdered two Ukrainian soldiers who had the right to protection as prisoners of war. 

From March 5 to 9, 2022, during the occupation of the village of Sloboda in Chernihiv region, the two men lived in the house of a local resident. 

During a search, the accused stripped the men and saw one wearing army-issued underwear. According to the investigation, Sat forced them to confess to belonging to the armed forces, after that he took them to a shed and shot them. 

The term of Sat's punishment will be counted from the moment of his actual detention. The defender of the Russian military has 30 days to appeal. 

Russian General Issued Suspicion Over Seizure of Kherson Region  

Ukrainian investigators reported a suspicion in absentia to 64-year-old colonel-general Ihor Turchenyuk, the commander of the South troop group of the Russian Guard. He is suspected of waging an aggressive war (Part 2 of Article 28, Part 2 of Article 437 of the criminal code of Ukraine). 

According to the investigation, at the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the suspect took part in the capture of Kherson oblast, and soldiers under his command ensured the occupation of the region. More than 2,000 people, including children, were killed and injured as a result of these actions. 

The suspect's subordinates participated in violent crackdowns on peaceful protests and oversaw the illegal imprisonment of civilians. Turchenyuk is also accused of coordinating the installation of roadblocks and filtering measures.