And its already paying a price.
Olha Sukhenko, mayor of Motyzhyn, Ukraine, was found in a grave, blindfolded, hands bound. She was kidnapped on March 23rd. She was found dead thereafter with her husband and son beside her.
Nearly 1,000 civilians have been found dead near Kyiv since Russian forces withdrew their advance in northern Ukraine. Bodies line the streets while others are found in mass graves. Human Rights Watch (HRW), a charity, has released a report documenting Russian war crimes in and around the Chernihiv, Kharkiv, and Kyiv regions.
The next part of the article contains graphic information. Discretion is advised.
On March 4th, a witness told HRW how 5 Ukrainian men were rounded up by Russian soldiers. The 5 men had shirts covering their heads so they could not see. One of the Ukrainian men was forced to his knees and executed with a shot to the back of his head.
On March 4th, a 60-year-old man told HRW that a Russian soldier threatened to execute him and his son in Zabuchchya, a village northwest of Kyiv. Soldiers then looted his home, taking his hunting rifle and gasoline. When the soldier went to execute the man and his son anyway, another intervened.
A woman told HRW that a Russian soldier had repeatedly raped her multiple times in a school near Kharkiv, where her family was sheltering. She recalled that the soldier beat her and then proceeded to cut her face, neck, and hair with his knife. The next day, the woman fled to the city of Kharkiv to get medical treatment and other services. HRW had reviewed two photographs that showed the woman's injuries.
These are just some of the cases that have been documented. Your journalist can only handle reading so much.
Our report, Russia is Violating Geneva Conventions, explains the international law Russia promised to adhere to but is in clear violation of. This has legal repercussions in the post-war establishment but prosecuting the responsible will be costly and lengthy. In the meantime, there are three other consequences of Russia's invasion.
First, Ukrainians are firmly united against Russia. Many have already risked their lives to defend the motherland. The more atrocities Russian soldiers commit, the more reason for the Ukrainians to kick their occupiers out.
In a recent report, an unimaginable 9,000 civilians were found dead in Mariupol, a city Russia has shelled to ruin. The last defenders, barricaded in a steel plant, are holding out even as Vladimir Putin claims victory over the rubble that was once a city.
Ukrainians see this war as the final battle for survival and self-determination. They have poised themselves to fight until the last bullet and the last inch of territory. Russian war crimes will only strengthen their resolve.
Second, Russia's breach of Ukrainian sovereignty has reinvigorated NATO. The defensive alliance has not had this much unity since the Cold War. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, NATO saw no great adversary. Even with the rise of China, European members of NATO seemed unbothered by the anti-authoritarian rhetoric. In fact, two of NATO's members, Hungary and Poland, chose to experiment with authoritarianism. The war in Ukraine has rekindled the fire NATO once had.
Under the Biden administration, the United States has sent over $2 billion in military assistance to Ukraine. Nations like Lithuania and the Netherlands have also sent military assistance from their stockpiles. Czechia announced that it would be sending Soviet-made tanks that Ukrainians know how to use. Germany, a nation humbled by militarization and war, had announced historic a historic investment in its military spending. Undoubtedly, Russia's attempt to undermine and divide NATO has backfired. The alliance is more united than ever.
Third, Russia's ruthless and unjust war has soured its reputation in the world. The UN General Assembly has approved a resolution deploring Russia's invasion, calling for the immediate withdrawal of troops. Germany, addicted to Russian oil and gas, has canceled Nord Stream 2. Western democracies have imposed package after package of sanctions on Russian banks, goods, and people. Western firms and even ordinary Russians are leaving the country at an amazing rate. Even China has gone mute — for now.
Before the Beijing Olympics, China's President Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin had released a joint statement, announcing their friendship "had no limit." A report claimed that Xi Jinping asked Putin to hold his invasion until after the Olympics, to which he obliged. Now China claims neutrality in the conflict, even as it supports Putin's regime behind closed doors. Trade between Russia and China has surged 30% as foreign sanctions on Russia pile on. Other authoritarian regimes are following the Chinese model. Keeping their mouths shut seems to bring more profit.
This does, in some regard, isolate Russia diplomatically. Few voices outside its borders support the war, forcing Russia to divert more resources to keep its population brainwashed. Such a move means that Russia's propaganda machine is running at max capacity. This money and attention could be used to better Russian supply lines. Alas, the Kremlin chooses to crush protests and maintain its fabricated casus belli. Thus, Russian soldiers are forced to loot for food and supplies.
Russia's war crimes in Ukraine have forced the world to turn its back on the world's 11th largest economy. As the war drags on, it is likely the Russian army will become more brutal. Torturing and killing civilians has already become a way of life for many Russian soldiers. The world must act on its inhibition to stop a genocide in Ukraine. Some analysts predict Ukraine will suffer famine in the near future and it will be up to the West to keep a nation of 40 million people fed. Let's hope that food does not make it to the Russian army.
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