Wanted for War Crimes: Who Are Russia’s Ex-Defense Minister Shoigu and Chief of General Staff Gerasimov?

The Hague stated that Shoigu and Gerasimov were under suspicion of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity by directing attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure in Ukraine.

According to the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, as of February 22, 2024, 30,457 civilians were killed and wounded, including 587 children. It’s important to note these figures are not final, since many territories are occupied with no access there for monitoring groups.

Here is a brief review of Shoigu’s and Gerasimov’s roles in Russia.

Sergei Shoigu

Sergei Shoigu served as Minister of Defense of Russia from 2012 to 2024. Despite his close links with Vladimir Putin, fishing and hiking together, Shoigu was suddenly removed from his long-kept position and replaced by Andrey Belousov. He was appointed as the Secretary of Russia’s Security Council.

Shoigu was given the defense position despite having no military background, which caused dissatisfaction among some of his senior military leaders. 

While serving as a Russian Defense Minister, during the Presidency of Vladimir Putin, two wars were started by Russia under his command:

• Ukraine in 2014.

• Syria in 2015. 

During the 24-hour rebellion by Yevgeny Prigozhin's mercenaries in Russia on June 24, Shoigu conspicuously stayed silent and out of sight, which could not go unnoticed by such a Putin loyalist.

Valery Gerasimov

Valery Gerasimov has been the Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces since 2012 and the commander of Russian Forces in the invasion of Ukraine since 2023, replacing General Sergei Surovikin.

Under his command, the Russian military supplied and organized support to the Syrian government forces, enabling the capture of crucial cities in the country. Gerasimov has also played a crucial role in capturing Crimea in 2014.

At the same time, under Gerasimov's command, Russian troops in Ukraine made minimal progress after the beginning of the full-scale invasion, with the exception of capturing Bakhmut using Wagner's mercenaries.  

Still, the Chief of the Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine Kyrylo Budanov stated previously in an interview with The Telegraph that Gerasimov is currently irreplaceable in Russia.

“General Gerasimov has definitely several serious personal traits, among which strategic endurance occupies a special place. Many times he was one step away from being fired, but he always found a way out of situations,” said Budanov. “I can state that among the Russian generals, as of now, at least, we do not see his replacement.”

The relationship between Gerasimov and the late Wagner chief Prigozhin was strained, with Prigozhin frequently publicly criticizing Gerasimov as "incompetent."

A Bellingcat report named both Gerasimov and Shoigu, among other officials, in the transfer of a Russian Buk missile system to separatist forces. This system was subsequently used to shoot down the Malaysian MH-17 airliner, resulting in the tragic deaths of all civilians onboard.