KYIV: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday welcomed a decision from the International Criminal Court (ICC) to issue arrest warrants for Russia’s chief of the general staff, Valery Gerasimov, and former defense minister Sergei Shoigu.
The warrants — issued over strikes on Ukrainian infrastructure that constitute alleged war crimes — are the latest in a series of actions by the court over the Ukraine war, including an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“These barbaric missile and drone strikes continue to kill people and inflict damage across Ukraine,” Zelensky said.
“This decision is a clear indication that justice for Russian crimes against Ukrainians is inevitable,” he added.
“Every criminal involved in the planning and execution of these strikes must know that justice will be served. And we do hope to see them behind bars,” the Ukrainian leader wrote on social media.
The two men are accused of the war crimes of directing attacks at civilian objects and causing excessive incidental harm to civilians, as well as the crime against humanity of “inhumane acts” in Ukraine, the ICC said in a statement.
The Ukrainian presidency’s chief of staff Andriy Yermak wrote that “Shoigu and Gerasimov bear individual responsibility” for the strikes.
“This is an important decision. Everyone will be held accountable for evil,” he said.
“Every war criminal should be held accountable,” said Ukraine’s human rights commissioner Dmytro Lubinets.
The country’s prosecutor general’s office also welcomed the news in a statement.
“This is a new significant step toward full accountability for the aggressor,” it said.
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Zelensky says ICC warrants show justice for Russia ‘inevitable’
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Zelensky says ICC warrants show justice for Russia ‘inevitable’
- “This decision is a clear indication that justice for Russian crimes against Ukrainians is inevitable,” Zelensky said
- “Every criminal involved in the planning and execution of these strikes must know that justice will be served“
China protests over Philippine coast guard’s Xi images
MANILA: The Chinese Embassy in Manila said Friday it has filed a diplomatic protest against a Philippine Coast Guard spokesman over a social media post that included cartoonish images of President Xi Jinping.
Coast Guard spokesman Jay Tarriela and an embassy official had been trading barbs since last week over issues concerning the disputed South China Sea.
The crucial waterway, which Beijing claims historic rights to despite an international ruling that its assertion has no legal basis, has been the site of repeated clashes between Chinese and Philippine vessels.
Tarriela’s Facebook post on Wednesday included a photo of him giving a speech, with a background featuring a compilation of comical images of Xi under the banner “Why China remains to be bully?“
On Friday, the embassy slammed the post for “attacking and smearing Chinese leaders” in a statement it released.
The move “constitutes a serious violation of China’s political dignity,” the embassy said adding that it is a “blatant political provocation, which has crossed the red line.”
The embassy expressed “strong indignation” to the presidential palace, foreign affairs department and coast guard demanding an explanation for Tarriela’s “malicious provocations.”
In response, Tarriela Friday branded the protest “an attempt to deflect from the core issue: China’s repeated aggressive and illegal actions in the West Philippine Sea,” using the Filipino term for the waters immediately west of the country.
“If the Chinese Embassy objects to images or expressions that highlight these violations — often through legitimate public discourse or even satire — it only underscores discomfort with the truth being exposed,” Tarriela said, calling the response an “effort to intimidate.”
Manila’s presidential palace and Department of Foreign Affairs have yet to answer AFP’s request for comment.
Coast Guard spokesman Jay Tarriela and an embassy official had been trading barbs since last week over issues concerning the disputed South China Sea.
The crucial waterway, which Beijing claims historic rights to despite an international ruling that its assertion has no legal basis, has been the site of repeated clashes between Chinese and Philippine vessels.
Tarriela’s Facebook post on Wednesday included a photo of him giving a speech, with a background featuring a compilation of comical images of Xi under the banner “Why China remains to be bully?“
On Friday, the embassy slammed the post for “attacking and smearing Chinese leaders” in a statement it released.
The move “constitutes a serious violation of China’s political dignity,” the embassy said adding that it is a “blatant political provocation, which has crossed the red line.”
The embassy expressed “strong indignation” to the presidential palace, foreign affairs department and coast guard demanding an explanation for Tarriela’s “malicious provocations.”
In response, Tarriela Friday branded the protest “an attempt to deflect from the core issue: China’s repeated aggressive and illegal actions in the West Philippine Sea,” using the Filipino term for the waters immediately west of the country.
“If the Chinese Embassy objects to images or expressions that highlight these violations — often through legitimate public discourse or even satire — it only underscores discomfort with the truth being exposed,” Tarriela said, calling the response an “effort to intimidate.”
Manila’s presidential palace and Department of Foreign Affairs have yet to answer AFP’s request for comment.
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