Nicholas L. M. Allen
Mar 8, 2023
As the war in Ukraine carries on, evidence of Russian forces commiting atrocities continues to surface through investigation and video. There have been so many war crimes reported and there is an entire wikipedia dedicated to the information already.
Early in the war, they were indiscriminately attacking civilian targets, including hospitals and schools. On February 25, 2022, Amnesty International said Russian Forces have “shown a blatant disregard for civilian lives by using ballistic missiles and other explosive weapons with wide area effects in densely populated areas.”
This, along with the use of land mines and cluster munitions has just added to the number of weapons they use that might be against international law. They also targeted healthcare facilities at a staggering rate, with over 90 attacks confirmed as of April last year.
Then came the mass graves that were found after Russian forces were driven out of Izium during the Kharkiv counterattack by Ukraine. 447 bodies were discovered with 414 being civilians, 215 men, 194 women and 5 children. Among them were 22 servicemen and 11 bodies whose gender could not be determined, as of September 23. Most of the dead showed signs of a violent death, with 30 presenting traces of torture and execution. This wasn’t even the only mass grave that has been found...
Ukrainian authorities have also reported civilian deaths from Russian forces shooting at passing civilian vehicles that were trying to flee fighting across the country.
The Russian’s have also been found to be using “torture chambers” in Ukraine. In the town of Balakliya, Russia occupied a two-story building named “BalDruk” and used it as a prison and torture center. Two chambers designed for children were also found, with one of the kids being held there describing being cut with a knife, burnt with hot metal and subjected to mock executions.
What really hit me this past weekend, was a video that recently surfaced showing Russian military executing an unarmed Ukrainian POW. The video surfaced early this March, and shows him being murdered by machine gun fire after he says “Glory to Ukraine” while smoking a cigarette, The President of Ukraine’s office called the execution a “brutal murder”.
I will never let myself forget what is happening in Ukraine, I hope the amazing people of Ukraine make it through these awful times. Slava Ukraini!