ICC issues arrest warrants for two high-ranking Russian military officials over alleged attacks on Ukrainian civilian infrastructure

By lauraharris // 2024-03-08

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The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued arrest warrants for two high-ranking Russian military officials over alleged attacks on Ukrainian civilian infrastructure amid the Russia-Ukraine war. Pre-trial Chamber II of the ICC issued the warrant on March 5, alleging that Lt. Gen. Sergey Kobylash of the Long-Range Aviation branch of the Russian Aerospace Forces and Adm. Viktor Sokolov, commander of the Russian Navy's Black Sea Fleet, committed war crimes between Oct. 10, 2022 and March 9, 2023. The judges found 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." The strikes targeted electric power plants and substations across multiple locations in Ukraine, constituting a campaign of alleged aggression by the Russian armed forces. Moreover, the judges found that the strikes were directed against civilian objects and even in cases where the installations could be considered military objectives. In turn, it resulted in civilian harm and "clearly excessive to the anticipated military advantage" damage. Pre-trial Chamber II has pressed multiple war crime charges against Kobylash and Sokolov, including directing attacks against civilian objects, causing excessive incidental harm to civilians or damage to civilian objects, and inhumane acts. The judges stressed that there are reasonable grounds to believe the Russians bear individual criminal responsibility for the alleged crimes. "I have repeatedly emphasized that those responsible for actions that impact innocent civilians or protected objects must know that this conduct is bound by a set of rules reflected in international humanitarian law," ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan said in a statement. "All wars have rules. Those rules bind all without exception."

Jensen: Crippling civilian infrastructure has long been part of Russian generals' playbook

Moscow has been consistently denying that it is targeting civilian infrastructure in Ukraine. However, in an opinion piece in The Conversation, Benjamine Jensen of the Marine Corps University and the American University School of International Service claimed that Russia's regular cyberattacks against Ukrainian civilian infrastructure are not random. Instead, it is a reflection of an insidious calculus integral to modern Russian military theory known as strategic operations for destroying critical infrastructure. Jensen stated that Russia believes in the idea of an "initial period of war," wherein taking actions at the beginning is necessary to prepare for the actual war and weaken the opponent. In other words, attacks on critical infrastructure like power plants, dams, railways, pipelines and ports should happen before any actual fighting begins. For instance, in January 2022, an undersea cable connecting satellite ground stations in Svalbard, Norway and the Norwegian mainland was mysteriously cut, just a month before the Ukraine invasion. The incident happened while Russia was deploying over 100,000 troops near Ukraine's border to send a message to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization that if they ever got involved, there would be an escalation. (Related: Escalating tensions could spark Russia-NATO war at sea.) "These operations select targets primarily for their psychological effect. The belief is that hitting key infrastructure and creating prolonged blackouts, alongside disruptions to the ability to travel and transport goods, make political leaders and the population less willing to resist an attacking force," he wrote. Jensen also mentioned Valeriy Aleksandrovich Kiselev, a retired colonel and professor at the Combined Arms Academy of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, in his article. He stated that Kiselev claims that "modern wars should focus on destroying an enemy's critical economic infrastructure without employing large concentrations of ground troops." For instance, when Russia failed to control Ukraine through force, it invaded and focused on taking over nuclear facilities to threaten Ukraine and, at the same time, protect its troops. When Russia faced strong resistance from Ukraine and support from the West, it targeted transportation infrastructure to limit Kyiv's ability to resupply its forces. In April, Russia attacked railways in central and western Ukraine, and in the summer, they targeted a major rail hub, causing civilian casualties. As the conflict intensified, Russia escalated coercive measures by also targeting major dams to destroy one near Kryvyi Rih in mid-September. Despite severe flooding from cruise missile salvos, the dam survived. Later in the month, another dam on the Siverskyi Donets River became a target for Russian forces. "This concept nests with the Russian approach to coercive strategy – an alternative to traditional warfare that attempts to manipulate the behavior of an opposing force through political, economic and military pressure. The logic is simple: Why fight a protracted conflict when you can use a mix of fear and punishment to get the enemy to surrender?" Jensen wrote. Watch this Fox News video about former Vice President Mike Pence saying Russia wouldn't have invaded Ukraine under Trump. This video is from the NewsClips channel on Brighteon.com.

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Jensen: Crippling civilian infrastructure has long been part of Russian generals' playbook

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