Posted on Apr 4, 2022
What actions should be taken to address Russian war crimes in Ukraine?
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Awful stuff coming out of Ukraine this week. What can or should the US and world community do about it? What can we do about it?
https://www.politico.com/news/2022/04/03/ukraine-accuses-russia-massacre-00022595
https://www.politico.com/news/2022/04/03/ukraine-accuses-russia-massacre-00022595
Posted in these groups: 
War Crimes
Foreign Affairs
War Crimes Foreign Affairs
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 36
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Who was held accountable for that innocent Afghani family's deaths in retaliation for the suicide bomber that killed 13 service members helping load out Afghani refugees? A save face effort for Biden gone wrong, like Hillary and Obama leaving our Ppl. to die in Bengusai! No accountability. Not war crimes but shady putting politics over leadership and humanity!
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It is time for the world to declare that they are going in . Then build the required force with a hard date for full throttle deployment if Russia does not pull out immediately.
The immediate deterrent being the existing NATO forces who will immediately enter Ukraine after establishing a no fly zone.
Enough is enough.
The immediate deterrent being the existing NATO forces who will immediately enter Ukraine after establishing a no fly zone.
Enough is enough.
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SPC Victoria Coe
MSG Stan Hutchison you don't think that possibility is still there, especially if Russia loses more on the battlefront?
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The issue isn't with the Russian people, or with the Soldiers for that matter. They don't have the benefit of great leadership in their ranks as we do. The issue is with their puppet master, Putin. He's got all the cookies and the jar to boot. Putin needs to be replaced before any real change or stoppage can occur. There are ways to do that, but none of them are easy or politically correct.
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The citizens of Russia and the European Countries should take a stand, our nation been leading the way too long.
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First make sure it's Russian soldiers committing the crimes, which hasn't been done yet, next make sure ur not arming neo nazi s. Arming the Ukrainian ative duty military is good but arming their national guard units like azov not so good.Its my personal belief that azov and other units may be committing alot of the crimes were seeing today. My humble opinion.
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It's a tough question. It seems that unless we want to send in armed forces to retrieve suspected war criminals the best we are going to be able to do is indict identified perpetrators and make it so they can't travel outside of Russia to most nations without being arrested.
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First, before people decide that what I am about to say means I think Russia is just doing a bang-up job regarding human rights, I absolutely, positively, and without hesitation or equivocation condemn any and all war crimes. To include U.S. war crimes of the past. I have, in the past, reported a war crime up through the chain. So, no, I do not support or condone war crimes.
Now that that caveat that is out of the way, I think it is prudent to point out that the Ukraine declared far and wide that ALL MALES between the ages of 16-60 were immediately conscripted and were now part of the Ukrainian Army. As such, Russian violence against these individuals has to meet a much higher standard to be a bona fide war crime. Additionally, protected places, such as schools, can EASILY lose their protected status if military aged males are congregating there. I am in NO WAY saying that the preceding means there are no war crimes to discuss.
Again, I do not condone war crimes. And I am sure that, even when excluding the military aged males, there will be plenty to discuss. But before we start declaring war crimes, let's make sure what we are discussing actually qualifies.
Now that that caveat that is out of the way, I think it is prudent to point out that the Ukraine declared far and wide that ALL MALES between the ages of 16-60 were immediately conscripted and were now part of the Ukrainian Army. As such, Russian violence against these individuals has to meet a much higher standard to be a bona fide war crime. Additionally, protected places, such as schools, can EASILY lose their protected status if military aged males are congregating there. I am in NO WAY saying that the preceding means there are no war crimes to discuss.
Again, I do not condone war crimes. And I am sure that, even when excluding the military aged males, there will be plenty to discuss. But before we start declaring war crimes, let's make sure what we are discussing actually qualifies.
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SFC Casey O'Mally
SPC Kevin Ford You assume much. I never said summary execution was not a war crime. I said the bar is higher to prove a war crime.
Killing civilians indiscriminately is, in and of itself, a war crime. For the most part, however, you can kill opposing combatants indiscriminately and stay within the bounds of the laws of land warfare.
So, for instance, a mass grave is normally assumed to be evidence of a war crime. But if the mass grave is filled entirely with enemy combatants that were, for instance, killed by a bomb, then it is not a war crime.
Even a close range gun shot to the head is not necessarily a war crime.
Additionally, being shot with hands tied behind the back is not necessarily automatically a war crime. If the individual was an escaping prisoner, for example, there may be a justification for shooting him.
Again, I did not say there CAN'T be war crimes. As a matter of fact I even stated there likely ARE war crimes. Just that we have to look through a different lens.
Killing civilians indiscriminately is, in and of itself, a war crime. For the most part, however, you can kill opposing combatants indiscriminately and stay within the bounds of the laws of land warfare.
So, for instance, a mass grave is normally assumed to be evidence of a war crime. But if the mass grave is filled entirely with enemy combatants that were, for instance, killed by a bomb, then it is not a war crime.
Even a close range gun shot to the head is not necessarily a war crime.
Additionally, being shot with hands tied behind the back is not necessarily automatically a war crime. If the individual was an escaping prisoner, for example, there may be a justification for shooting him.
Again, I did not say there CAN'T be war crimes. As a matter of fact I even stated there likely ARE war crimes. Just that we have to look through a different lens.
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CPT Lawrence Cable
Apparently the Pentagon agrees with you. Dead bodies in a war zone are not unusual. https://www.reuters.com/world/pentagon-cant-independently-confirm-atrocities-ukraines-bucha-official-says-2022-04-04/
Pentagon can't independently confirm atrocities in Ukraine's Bucha, official says
The U.S. military is not in a position to independently confirm Ukrainian accounts of atrocities by Russian forces against civilians in the town of Bucha, but has no reason to dispute the accounts either, a senior U.S. defense official said on Monday.
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SFC Casey O'Mally
CPT Lawrence Cable There is the old saw about blind squirrels and nuts....
I'll leave it up to the reader whether the Pentagon or I am the squirrel.
I'll leave it up to the reader whether the Pentagon or I am the squirrel.
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CPT Lawrence Cable
SFC Casey O'Mally - I pointed out to a non military friend that the Ukrainians had been trained by the old KGB and the CIA, plus a couple of NGO's with less than stellar reputations about being fast and loose with "facts". I don't believe much from either side that I can't confirm from outside (and non involved) sources.
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Are they Russian War Crimes, or are they Ukrainian reprisals against Russian sympathizers?
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SSG Carlos Madden
It would appear, from a wide array of international sources, that they are Russian War crimes.
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Sgt John Steinmeier
SSG Carlos Madden - Oh I am not dismissing the potential for Russian shenanigans, however both sides are cut from the same cloth. All one has to do is look at WWII and the areas that were under German occupation and once under Allied control citizens took matters into their own hands with enemy sympathizers.
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