The Bucha Massacre. The rocket attack on the theater in Mariupol. The relentless bombardment of civilians in cities and villages. The list of Russian war crimes in Ukraine is long. And there are always new shocking revelations.
A video circulated last week of Russian soldiers choking a Ukrainian prisoner and then castrating him. More than 50 Ukrainian militants died in their beds in an attack on a detention center. It is assumed that the Russians used a thermobaric weapon for this.
For military expert Mick Ryan, these war crimes show, above all, “that the reform of the Russian army into a modern, effective and morally superior military institution has failed.” Ryan writes for the Australian website “ABC News”. Instead, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu’s reforms have exposed an organization that is “corrupt and morally bankrupt.”
According to Ryan, the reform has only achieved one thing: “Somewhat new war equipment has been given to an institution that has an age-old way of thinking about warfare.” Shoigu has not gotten the army under control.
The failures on the battlefield and the behavior of the soldiers are indicative of a systemic problem, Ryan writes. The responsibility for this lies with the management level. This runs through the entire chain of command. Ryan: “An army that allows such behavior will never be able to fight effectively and modernly. Wars have rules. And those who fight under the motto ‘everything is possible’ are not an army, but an armed group of thugs.”
“It’s important for warfare and also for a troop’s morale that soldiers are held accountable for such crimes,” says Ryan. “And in order to do that, everyone needs to know what proper behavior is in a professional and ethical military organization.”
All such acts have their roots in political decisions, Ryan told ABC News. The Russian war crimes could be related back to Vladimir Putin’s statements. He called Ukraine a “fake state”. A country “without history” and “without legitimacy”. He has denied the Ukrainians the right to life – at least those who do not voluntarily join Russia.
Ryan concludes, “All of these crimes are the ultimate outcome of this dehumanization process. Putin started this. And it runs through the entire chain of command.”
The Russian military fired at a minibus carrying fugitives with anti-tank guided missiles. Several people die. Meanwhile, Germany is supplying important artillery weapons to Ukraine. Everything that happened tonight.
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