Putin Has Polish Blood on His Hands

​The Russian invasion of Ukraine started nine months ago and has not gone according to Vladimir Putin’s military plans. After several military setbacks, it has turned into a brutal war of ruthless destruction on Ukraine’s non-military infrastructure and civilian populations.

​In October the Russians escalated their destruction of energy infrastructure across Ukraine using missiles and drones. Last week Russia launched its largest missile attack to date, hitting power plants, substations, natural gas facilities, and waterworks. Over 50% of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure has been damaged, leaving widespread blackouts and millions of civilians without heat, power or water.
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On November 15, 2022 a missile hit the Polish village of Prezewodow, about four miles from the Ukrainian border. The subsequent explosion killed two people. Initially the missile was reported to have been launched by Russian forces. This triggered an intense 24-hour investigation into the incident by NATO officials and NATO member Poland. A deliberate attack by Russia on Poland would have triggered a response by the NATO Alliance, possibly dragging the United States into the war. 

Russia denied responsibility for the missile explosion in Poland, but the missile was Russian made, heightening tensions between Russian and NATO countries. Fortunately, tensions quickly subsided when the following day a top NATO official and Poland’s president reported that a Ukrainian air-defense missile, not a Russian weapon, had most likely caused the deadly explosion on Polish territory.

Air defense systems within the Ukraine were activated on November 15th in response to Russia’s biggest wave of missile strikes of the war. Ukraine fired many surface-to-air missiles that day to shoot down the Russian missiles, and one accidentally landed in Poland. Allies quickly came to Ukraine’s defense, pointing the blame squarely at Russia.
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“Let me be clear. This is not Ukraine’s fault,” said Jens Stoltenberg, the NATO secretary general. “Russia bears ultimate responsibility as it continues its illegal war against Ukraine.” A statement from the White House said “it is clear that the party ultimately responsible for this tragic incident is Russia, which launched a barrage of missiles on Ukraine specifically intended to target civilian infrastructure. Ukraine had, and has, every right to defend itself”.

Deliberate attacks on civilians or the infrastructure vital to their survival are war crimes as defined by the 1949 Geneva Conventions and ratified by all member states of the United Nations. The actions leading to the deaths of the two Polish civilians were not the first war crimes perpetrated by Russian forces on the civilians in and around Ukraine, and they won’t be the last.
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As I write this, Russian missiles are raining down on critical infrastructure sites all over Ukraine. This is an effort to bring the civilian population to its knees as cold winter weather begins to settle in. These are the same tactics used by Russian forces in Chechnya and Syria. As military efforts failed, the deliberate and brutal attacks on civilians and infrastructure began to escalate. According to the prosecutor general of Ukraine, at least 8,300 civilians have been killed in the war, including 437 children. Well over 10,000 civilians have been injured and millions have been displaced.  We are witnessing cold blooded murder.

As I wrote in my blog “Putin’s War”, the International Criminal Court is impotent to prosecute Russia for war crimes. Therefore, the United Nations should act forcefully to hold Russia responsible for its crimes. Russia should be removed from the Security Council and have its United Nations membership revoked. If these actions require the rechartering of the United Nations, so be it.

​This week the European Parliament designated Russia a state sponsor of terror. This move is largely symbolic, but it is a step in the right direction. But much more needs to be done. Russia’s actions in Ukraine are immoral, criminal, and outside the norms of civilized behavior. Russia must be stopped, and it’s president Vladimir Putin, convicted of war crimes. 

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Thanks,
Armchair American