ICC chief prosecutor Khan (right) inspects the Kyiv suburb after a missile attack last year./Valentyn Ogirenko/Reuters/FILE
2023.03.14 Tue posted at 13:45 JST
（ＣＮＮ） The International Criminal Court (ICC) plans to file two war crimes charges and issue arrest warrants for several people in connection with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, The New York Times and Reuters reported, citing people familiar with the matter.
According to The New York Times, it will be the first time war crimes have been brought before the ICC since Russia started the war. The ICC’s Special Investigation Unit had been investigating for several months.
Two charges are being filed: Russia’s forcible kidnapping of Ukrainian children and “relentless” attacks on civilian infrastructure such as water and gas.
ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan will first explain the charges in a preliminary hearing, after which a judge will determine if the charges meet the legal criteria required to issue an arrest warrant or if more evidence is required.
CNN asked for comment on the New York Times report, but the ICC prosecutor’s office had “no comment.”
Chief prosecutor Khan visited Ukraine last month to investigate Russian attacks on power and other infrastructure facilities. “We clearly see a pattern in the number, scale and scope of attacks on Ukrainian power facilities. We need to look at why. Is this a legitimate target? Were they targeted for a reason?” he said.
Meanwhile, 345 Ukrainian children have gone missing since the Russian invasion in February 2022, according to official Ukrainian statistics.
The Ukrainian government says many of those children were forcibly taken to Russia. The Russian government does not deny the kidnapping of Ukrainian children, making their adoption by Russian families the centerpiece of its propaganda.
