ICC decides to arrest long-range aviation and Black Sea Fleet commanders

The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for long-range aviation commander Sergei Kobylash and Black Sea Fleet commander Viktor Sokolov.

• Lieutenant General Kobylash has been serving as the commander of long-range aviation since September 2016. In 2008 he received the title of the Hero of Russia.
• Admiral Sokolov has commanded the Black Sea Fleet since the autumn of 2022.

The court claimed that the commanders of the Russian aviation and navy were allegedly responsible for crimes committed “during at least the period from October 10, 2022 to March 9, 2023.”

The contents of the warrants remain classified to protect witnesses and ensure the security of the investigation, the statement from the court reads.

In March 2023, the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin and children's ombudsman Maria Lvova-Belova. The ICC held them responsible for the "illegal deportation of the population (children) from the occupied territories of Ukraine to the Russian Federation” since the outbreak of full-scale hostilities. Russia, which has not ratified the Rome Statute, considers the decision of the court legally void.