The Hague Court Issues Arrest Warrants For High-Ranking Russian Military Personnel

They are accused of striking Ukrainian civilian targets.

The Hague court today, on March 5, issued arrest warrants for commander of the Russian long-range aviation Sergei Kobylash, and commander of the Russian Black Sea Fleet Viktor Sokolov.

This was reported by RBC-Ukraine with reference to the International Criminal Court.

It is noted that the Pre-Trial Chamber of the II International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for two people, namely Sergei Ivanovich Kobylash and Viktor Nikolaevich Sokolov, in the context of the war in Ukraine regarding probable crimes committed from at least October 10, 2022 to at least March 9 2023.

What are they accused of?

The court said that Sergei Ivanovich Kobylash, who at the relevant time was the commander of long-range aviation of the Aerospace Forces, and Viktor Nikolaevich Sokolov, who at the relevant time was the commander of the Black Sea Fleet, were responsible for a war crime.

It consists of striking civilian objects, and a war crime of causing excessive incidental harm to civilians or damage to civilian objects, and a crime against humanity of inhumane acts under Article of the Rome Statute.

“There are reasonable grounds to believe that they are individually criminally responsible for the above-mentioned crimes for committing acts jointly and through others, for ordering the commission of crimes and for failing to exercise proper control over forces under their command,” the court said in a statement.

Russian military is involved in missile attacks on Ukraine

Two arrest warrants were issued based on petitions filed by the prosecution. Pre-Trial Chamber II found that there were reasonable grounds to believe that the two suspects were responsible for missile attacks carried out by their subordinate forces on Ukrainian electricity infrastructure between at least October 10, 2022, and March 9, 2023.

During this period, there was a likely campaign of attacks on numerous power plants and substations carried out by Russian military forces in several locations in Ukraine.

Pre-Trial Chamber II concluded that there were reasonable grounds to believe that the alleged attacks were directed against civilian objects, and for those objects which at the relevant time could qualify as military objectives, the expected collateral damage to civilians would be clearly excessive compared with expected military advantage.

“There are reasonable grounds to believe that the suspects are also responsible for a crime against humanity, which consists of other inhumane acts intentionally causing great suffering or serious injury to the body, mental or physical health,” the ICC added.