Even if the Kremlin is denying all allegations.
Hundreds of reports are making their way out of Ukraine. The story of each is the same: Russia is committing war crimes against Ukraine and its people. Russia denies all allegations and insists that no war crimes are committed by Russian soldiers. Two questions arise. How is Russia violating international law and how will the Kremlin be held responsible?
To answer the first question, we must go back to 1864, when the first Geneva Convention was signed. However, the current version of the conventions was adopted in 1949. In this new version, four new conventions were adopted:
(1) The treatment of wounded and sick soldiers in the armed forces and the field,
(2) The treatment of wounded, sick, and shipwrecked members of armed forces at sea,
(3) The treatment of prisoners of war, and
(4) The Protection of civilians during war.
The purpose of these conventions was to give protection and neutrality to wounded, sick, and shipwrecked soldiers and prisoners of war, as well as protection to civilians.
The USSR ratified this version in 1954 and remains a signatory of most protocols. In 2019, Vladimir Putin revoked a protocol called Additional Protocol I, involving the protection of victims of international armed conflicts. Nonetheless, it kept its ratification of all other protocols.
Russia is currently violating many of those protocols.
It would make sense, perhaps, for Russia to ignore the conventions if it claimed that ratification under the Soviet Union does not apply to the new Russia. The Kremlin, however, is clear-eyed that Russia is the true successor to the Soviet Union, thereby insisting that Western guarantees that NATO would not expand Eastward also apply to Russia (although no formal agreement was ever signed and Russia allowed NATO to expand).
Whether the Kremlin announces it or not, Russia's government picks and chooses which laws it wants to follow and which it can ignore. This "selective" consent to International Law is why so many of Russia's soldiers are committing atrocities with no repercussions from their superiors. Worse yet, the Kremlin and state media deny every allegation, while the Western world bears witness to human suffering.
The answer to the second question is not nearly as straightforward. The International Criminal Court (ICC) has begun an investigation into the war crimes that Russia's soldiers are committing in Ukraine. Finding proof is sadly easy. Prosecuting guilty responsible is near impossible.
As long as Vladimir Putin and his pawns remain in power while garnering international support, the ICC wills struggle to bring them to justice. Only through a dramatic action by the liberal world, such as invading Russia and capturing its leaders, would the ICC be able to put the guilty on the stand. That is, of course, highly unlikely, as mentioned in our article Putin's Nuclear Ace.
Meanwhile, Vladimir Putin remains a popular figure in Russia and other authoritarian regimes that wish to stand up to the West. Even in America, some circles see no fault in his actions and instead blame the United States.
The phenomenon in America is in part due to Russian propaganda which is well-known for its efficiency. It is after all run by a former KGB agent who is known for his lies and deception. As fast as the world can disprove one of Putin's lies, there are 3 more to take its place.
The West's best bet is to fight Russian propaganda and supply Ukraine with arms and funds, lest it has to intervene itself. For how long Ukraine can hold out on its own is another matter. But as long the Ukrainian people fight, Russia will take its anger out on the civilians.
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