Until trouble comes to our lives, we often fail to notice global problems. Simply put, if problems are not ours, they don’t bother us. That’s until a full-scale war broke out in Ukraine. I had never encountered the concept of “war crimes” in my life. And no-one explained to me what they are and how important they are. However, we never know what tomorrow will bring. So it’s worth having an understanding of what war crimes are.
War crimes are, unfortunately, what my country is living through now. War itself is a violation of all human norms and rules, especially in modern times. According to the latest data, about 10,000 cases of war crimes have been filed in Ukraine.
According to a statement by Ukrainian Prosecutor-General Iryna Venediktova, more and more reasons to initiate new cases come to light every day.
“This is the death of civilians, bombing, illegal deportation of our people to the occupied territories or the territory of the aggressor state,” Venediktova said.
According to the country’s chief prosecutor, some war criminals are already being prosecuted in Ukraine. In particular, 15 Russian servicemen who committed crimes in Kyiv Region.
The following are the general features of war crimes:
- premeditated murder;
- torture;
- attack on civilian population;
- destruction and misappropriation of property;
- coercion to serve in the enemy’s armed forces;
- strikes on protected facilities (such as historical monuments, hospitals, churches, schools, etc.);
- deportation or forcible transfer of population;
- hostage taking;
- attack on civilian facilities;
- improper use of the enemy’s flag, military insignia or uniform;
- improper use of distinctive emblems established by the Geneva Conventions (e.g., use of ambulances);
- threatening statements (for example, “there will be no mercy”)
- destruction or seizure of enemy property;
- robbery (for example, shoplifting)
- the use of protected persons as “living shields” (for example, covering military vehicles with civilians, firing from a kindergarten building, etc.)
This is merely a list of major violations. And, unfortunately, the Russians have committed all these crimes on the territory of Ukraine.
However, there are clarifications. For example, in Vorzel, Kyiv Region, the Russian military fired on a maternity hospital. Just imagine, while in one ward a woman gave birth to a child, in the next room a bullet passed through the glass. Moreover, Russians opened fire on a nurse who was running across the yard from one office to another. This is a war crime.
However, if the Ukrainian military had been hiding in the maternity ward at that time, the actions of the Russians would not have been qualified as a war crime. Because it would turn out that the Ukrainian military was hiding behind civilians. There were no Ukrainian soldiers in the hospital in Vorzel and there none in the school in Buzova, in the basement of which about 500 people were hiding. The Russians shelled the school and turned it into ruins.
We can go on and on listing such examples. Enemy forces have been committing war crimes on the territory of Ukraine without shame or fear of trial for more than two months now.
And we do not yet know the situation in those areas of Ukraine that are currently under occupation and where there is no communication with people.
Today, the main task of people and journalists is, in particular, to collect and preserve as much evidence as possible – photos, videos, testimonies. Although we all understand that the worst picture will be revealed after the war, when Ukraine will be in a position to draw conclusions. But time is running out. And with each passing day, the war crimes keep piling up.
We can only hope and believe that one day everyone who committed war crimes will be held accountable. And that’s why we must do our best right now to monitor, record and expose.
