Zelenskyy on ICC arrest warrants for Russian military commanders: Senior ranks won’t exempt them from accountability

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Photo: Office of the President of Ukraine

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has welcomed the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) decision to issue arrest warrants for Russia’s Long-Range Aviation and Black Sea Fleet commanders.

Source: President Zelenskyy on X; European Pravda

Details: Zelenskyy stressed that every Russian commander who orders strikes against Ukrainian civilians and critical infrastructure “must know that justice will be served”.

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“Every perpetrator of such crimes must know that they will be held accountable,” Zelenskyy wrote.

He added that though international justice requires time, it is “unavoidable”, and Ukraine will continue to make every effort to bring every Russian who has committed war crimes against Ukraine to justice.

“And no number of stars on shoulder straps or cabinet doors will keep them from being held accountable,” Zelenskyy said.

Background:

• On 5 March, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for commanders of Russia’s Long-Range Aviation (Sergey Kobylash) and the Russian Federation’s Black Sea Fleet (Viktor Sokolov) as part of the investigation into war crimes Russia potentially committed in Ukraine between 10 October 2022 and 9 March 2023.
• On 17 March 2023, Pre-Trial Chamber II of the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin over the deportation of Ukrainian children from Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine.

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