Sergei Shoigu
Sergei Shoigu is a Russian statesman and military figure who served as Minister of Defence of the Russian Federation from 2012 to 2024. A General of the Army, he previously headed the Ministry of Emergency Situations before joining the federal government. In 2024 he was moved to the post of Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation and later appointed to head the CIS Interstate Council for Defence.
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UN commission: Russia’s attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure are war crimes
A UN investigative commission concluded that Russia’s deliberate, systematic attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity. It also found evidence that Russian authorities engaged in human trafficking to recruit men from 29 countries for the armed forces.
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Russia seeks extradition of ICC President Tomoko Akane from the Netherlands
Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has formally requested that the Netherlands extradite International Criminal Court (ICC) President Tomoko Akane, and sent similar requests to other countries for eight additional ICC figures, including former Prosecutor Karim Khan. The move is the latest escalation in Russia's confrontation with the ICC following its March 2023 arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin over the deportation of Ukrainian children, and comes alongside US sanctions on the court.
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EU extends Ukraine sanctions for three years but drops Usmanov and Fridman, prompting Ukrainian criticism
On 22 September, the EU Council extended Ukraine-related sanctions for 36 months until 22 September 2029, the first time the regime has been renewed for three years instead of the usual six-month cycle. In the same decision, the EU removed Russian oligarchs Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman from the list. Ukraine called the delisting "shameful" and unjustified, and the Baltic states announced national sanctions in response. A day later, on 23 September, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev pardoned French citizen Martin Ryan, who had been sentenced to ten years in prison on espionage charges that France rejects.