Who knows how proud Vladimir Putin will be of his men. Sergei Shoigu and Valery Gerasimov, former Defense Minister and Chief of Staff, will struggle to leave the borders of their motherland Russia but you know what satisfaction it is to have emulated the leader. In fact, as happened with their leader, an international arrest warrant was issued for them by the ICC for war crimes and crimes against humanity. A decision welcomed, naturally, with favor by Kiev and with disdain by Moscow and which marks a further rift between Russia and the West. Further sanctioned by the blocking decided by Moscow of numerous Western websites, including some Italian ones, as a repercussion of the European blackout of propaganda portals.
In detail, the judges of the International Criminal Court in The Hague, in the context of crimes against civilians, in the preliminary section presided over by the Italian judge Rosario Salvatore Aitala, accuse Shoigu and Gerasimov of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Ukraine “between 10 October 2022 and at least 9 March 2023”, when, as happens almost daily, civilian targets were hit by the Russians. “Damage resulting from inhuman acts”, reads the sentence that accuses the two high officials of being directly responsible and also of not having controlled their troops. The ruling also specifies that the same behavior is also taking place in recent days. A fact that is known. “Important decision of the International Criminal Court”, comments Kiev with President Zelensky who doubles down: “Every criminal involved in the planning and execution of the attacks in Ukraine must know that justice will be done. We hope to see them behind bars, no military rank can protect Russian criminals from their responsibilities”, he commented. “This is just another act of the West’s hybrid war against Russia,” the Russian National Security Council, of which Shoigu is now secretary, contemptuously replied.
It is no coincidence that just yesterday Russia blocked access on its territory to the sites of various European media, including the Italians Rai, La7, La Repubblica and La Stampa, in response to the blackout of the Ria Novosti, Izvestia and Rossiyskaya Gazeta which spread regime propaganda news. In total, Moscow blocked 81 EU media outlets, with France the main target. The reaction of our Ministry of Foreign Affairs is harsh and in an official note it expresses regret for “an unjustified measure”. «The leadership of the Russian Federation is engaged in actions that are contrary to international law and every principle of legality and civil coexistence.
All this will not be canceled by the bans imposed on the media and journalists in Italy and around the world”, continues the note. He coincidentally happens just as Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov says that there are no conditions “to normalize dialogue with the West”. What a surprise.
