International Criminal Court Prosecutor Karim Khan and Ukrainian Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin look at parts of a Russian missile which was used for a strike on the Ohmatdyt Children’s Hospital in July, in Kyiv on September 10, 2024.
| Photo Credit: Reuters

Ukraine’s prosecutor general said on Tuesday (September 10, 2024) that Kyiv suspected a senior Russian air force commander of ordering a missile strike on a children’s hospital in central Kyiv in July that killed two people and caused extensive damage.

Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin did not name the individual but said the International Criminal Court in The Hague had already issued an arrest warrant against him.

In March, the ICC issued an arrest warrant for Lieutenant General Sergei Kobylash, saying he was the commander of Russia’s long-range aviation forces. The ICC said at the time he was suspected of war crimes including ordering strikes on Ukraine’s energy system.

Russia denies carrying out war crimes in Ukraine and says it does not target civilians.

“We are continuing the investigation to find other people responsible for the strike on Okhmatdyt,” Mr. Kostin told reporters, referring to the hospital.

He stood outside the damaged clinic beside ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan, who is visiting Kyiv.

According to Mr. Kostin, the commander ordered the firing of a Kh-101 air-launched cruise missile from a Russian bomber at 10.45 a.m. on July 8, the day of the strike.

Mr. Khan added that it appeared from various sources that a Kh-101 missile has been identified.

“It does seem from a number of sources and the work that’s been done that a missile, a Kh-101 cruise missile, has been identified,” Mr. Khan said. “A number of factors have to be looked into further.”

The ICC has issued arrest warrants for six Russian officials, including President Vladimir Putin.

Mr. Putin and Russia’s children’s ombudsman Maria Lvova-Belova were charged by the court last year with the unlawful deportation of children from occupied parts of Ukraine.

Russia has dismissed ICC war crime arrest warrants as part of a biased Western campaign to discredit Russia.

Russian officials say such warrants have little real world impact as Moscow is not a member of the court and neither are other major powers, such as the United States and China.

Mr. Kostin is leading Ukraine’s campaign to prosecute alleged war crimes by Russian forces and over 140,000 cases are being investigated.

Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu, right, gestures as he speaks to Russian Chief of General Staff Gen. Valery Gerasimov prior to a meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin with the top military brass in Moscow, Russia, on December 19, 2023.
| Photo Credit: AP

The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants on June 25 for Russia’s former Defence Minister and its military chief of staff for attacking civilian targets in Ukraine.

The court is accusing former Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and chief of staff Gen. Valery Gerasimov of war crimes and the crime against humanity of inhumane acts.

The court said in a statement that warrants were issued because judges considered there were reasonable grounds to believe that the men are responsible for “missile strikes carried out by the Russian armed forces against the Ukrainian electric infrastructure” from October 10, 2022 until at least March 9, 2023.

“During this time-frame, a large number of strikes against numerous electric power plants and sub-stations were carried out by the Russian armed forces in multiple locations in Ukraine,” the court added.

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There is no immediate likelihood of either suspect being detained. Russia isn’t a member of the global court, doesn’t recognize its jurisdiction and refuses to hand over suspects.

Last year, the court also issued a warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin, accusing him of personal responsibility for the abductions of children from Ukraine.

Mr. Putin replaced Mr. Shoigu as Defence minister in a Cabinet shakeup in May as he began his fifth term as President. He appointed Mr. Shoigu as secretary of Russia’s Security Council, the Kremlin said.