International court orders arrests of 2 Russians for war crimes

International Criminal Court war crimes investigators in Ukraine

(Image credit: Fadel Senna / AFP via Getty Images)

published 6 March 2024

What happened?

The International Criminal Court on Tuesday issued arrest warrants for two senior Russian military officers, accusing Lt. Gen. Sergei Kobylash and Adm. Viktor Sokolov of war crimes in Ukraine. Last year the ICC ordered the arrests of Russian President Vladimir Putin and children's rights commissioner Maria Lvova-Belova.

Who said what?

Kobylash, a top Air Force officer, and Sokolov, who led Russia's Black Sea Fleet, "bear responsibility for missile strikes" against "the Ukrainian electric infrastructure" in late 2022 and early 2023, disproportionately harming civilians, the ICC said.

The commentary

Russia has "repeatedly bombed" and "killed uncounted civilians" in Ukraine, The New York Times said. But here "the weight of evidence and the clarity of the command structure" could help prove war crimes in court. Putin won't turn over Kobylash or Sokolov, so this is "mostly symbolic," The Washington Post said. But last year's arrest warrant did limit Putin's travel.

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What next?

It's unlikely Kobylash or Sokolov will ever be "arrested or tried," but these warrants "can become the building blocks for a broader legal framework after the war," the Times said.

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.