ICC issues arrest warrants against top Russian commanders Kobylash and Sokolov

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued arrest warrants for top Russian commanders Sergei Ivanovich Kobylash and Viktor Nikolayevich Sokolov over alleged war crimes in Ukraine, it said in a statement on Tuesday.

The ICC, which is based in The Hague, said that “there are reasonable grounds to believe that the two suspects bear responsibility for missile strikes carried out by the forces under their command against the Ukrainian electric infrastructure from at least 10 October 2022 until at least 9 March 2023.”

The Court added that the incidental civilian harm and damage from the attacks would have been clearly excessive to any expected military advantage.

Ukraine’s prosecutors were already investigating possible war crimes after a winter campaign of air strikes on Ukrainian energy and utilities infrastructure.

Russia denies deliberately targeting civilian infrastructure in Ukraine, saying its attacks are all intended to reduce Kyiv’s ability to fight.