Explaining complex things in simple words: prisoners of war exchange, victory in the ECtHR, arrest warrant for Gerasimov and Shoigu

The Center for Strategic Communication and Information Security pursues efforts to provide a brief explanation to foreign audiences on the current topics of particular interest as regards Ukraine.      

PRISONERS OF WAR EXCHANGE

On June 25, another exchange of prisoners of war took place, 90 Ukrainians were released from Russian captivity.

Ukrainians do not abandon their own. The release of prisoners is our priority. This is one of the points of the Ukrainian Peace Formula brought up for discussion at the first Global Peace Summit.

There are soldiers of the National Guard, the Navy, Territorial Defence Forces, and SBGS among those released on June 25. They are defenders of the Mariupol, Chernobyl, Kherson, Donetsk, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, and Luhansk directions.

Since the beginning of 2024, 702 people have been returned from Russian captivity. This is daily hard non-public work. We are grateful to the United Arab Emirates for facilitating this issue.

It is important for Ukraine to liberate everyone; that is why we offer the formula "all for all". Ukraine does not differentiate between soldiers of different units in captivity. Only Russia makes such a difference, declaring the "Azovians" as "terrorists" and organizing illegal trials over them.

We demand from Russia proper treatment of Ukrainian prisoners and the provision of detailed information about persons held captive, in particular about the fate of 65 military personnel who were declared dead in the ll-76 plane crash on January 24, 2024.

VICTORY IN THE ECtHR

On June 25, the European Court of Human Rights announced the decision in the first interstate case brought by Ukraine against Russia over Crimea.

The ECtHR recognized that the Ukrainian side has proved the existence of systematic violations of the rights of Ukrainian citizens since the beginning of Russia's occupation of Crimea in February 2014. The decision was adopted unanimously.

This decision is the first in which the international court found the Russian Federation responsible for the policy of large-scale and systematic violations of various human rights and freedoms in the temporarily occupied territory of the Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol.

The international court nullified ten-year-old stories of Russian propaganda about the alleged "expression of will in the referendum" and that human rights had been respected in Crimea.

The first of four interstate cases, brought by Ukraine against Russia in the ECtHR, has been won. The day before, on June 12, oral hearings also ended in Strasbourg in the case "Ukraine and the Netherlands v. Russia," in which the ECtHR will issue a decision later.

This is an important result on the way to bringing the aggressor to international legal responsibility. The decisions of the ECtHR will have a significant impact on the attitude of the international community towards the Russian Federation.

ARREST WARRANT FOR GERASIMOV AND SHOIGU

On June 25, the Pre-Trial Chamber II of the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Shoigu, the former Russian Defence Minister, and the current military Chief of the General Staff, Gerasimov.

The International Criminal Court established the personal responsibility of Gerasimov and Shoigu for international crimes committed between at least October 10, 2022, and March 9, 2023.

Gerasimov and Shoigu are responsible for attacks on civilian objects and missile attacks on energy infrastructure, causing excessive damage to the civilian population and objects, as well as crimes against humanity.

In total, the ICC has already issued arrest warrants for 6 Russian high-ranking officials involved in crimes within the framework of Russian aggression against Ukraine. These are the dictator Putin, the so-called

"child ombudsman" Lvova-Belova, the commander of long-range aviation Kobylash, the commander of the Black Sea Fleet Sokolov, as well as Shoigu and Gerasimov.

In half of the states of the world that have ratified the Rome Statute, these individuals await arrest and transfer to the hands of international justice.

The decision of the International Court of Justice cannot be overturned by international diplomacy. Those charged will be prosecuted until justice is served.

Center for Strategic Communication and Information Securit.