It is time for the West to take a number of steps to inflict severe pain on Moscow in response to its atrocities.
Even before this week, Russia was unjustly destroying Ukraine. It destroyed people's hopes and dreams along with their homes, and indiscriminately bombed hospitals and theaters. And all these were Russian war crimes. However, the scale increased over the weekend when Vladimir Putin's troops withdrew from Bucha in the suburbs of Kiev, leaving blatant evidence of the mass murder of innocent civilians. The streets were littered with the bodies of people with their hands tied and shot in the head. A fresh mass grave was also found in Bucha. This massacre was a gloomy turning point in the Russian invasion. And the world must give a strong answer, – writes the Washington Post in an editorial.
Read also: Tortured but not conquered: what Bucha looks like after the racist occupation (photo, video)
Everyone has seen Russia's atrocities in Ukraine, seen the brutal “cleansing” of Chechnya, where entire cities and villages have been destroyed, and the bombing of hospitals in the Syrian city of Aleppo. As in Syria, Moscow has agreed to humanitarian corridors from Mariupol only to attack people who try to take advantage of them. So far, the world's response to all these crimes has been weak. It's time to change that. Putin believes in the tyranny of violence. He needs to show that no one will tolerate such barbarism by identifying and prosecuting the perpetrators of atrocities in Bucha, as well as throughout Ukraine.
To begin with, you need to document all the horrors. The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court is already conducting an investigation. Every effort must be made to help Ukraine gather evidence. Shocking videos and confessions in recent days lay the groundwork for responsibility. President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky called the execution of civilians “genocide”. And US President Joe Biden has declared Putin a “war criminal.” These words will gain real meaning only through targeted criminal prosecution.
Then the 27 EU countries must abandon fossil fuels from Russia. Oil and gas flows are still filling Putin's coffers. Germany is very dependent on Russian gas. And it will be difficult to reduce its consumption. But the closure of these “taps” is becoming increasingly urgent and inevitable. The EU is preparing a new package of economic sanctions amid doubts that Europeans have the willpower to cut gas imports.
The White House on Monday promised more sanctions from the United States. They should hit Russian industry and banks that have not been touched so far, “the article reads.
Ultimately, the war against Ukraine decides whether military force can be used to force a people who want to build democracy, elect their leaders and determine their own future. Will the ugly killings of Bucha residents with gunshots to the back of the head destroy the will of the whole of Ukraine to fight? But the determination of Ukrainians and the strength of will of all countries in the world that support Ukraine must be strengthened for the complete victory over Russian troops.
Read also: Lithuania withdraws its ambassador from Russia because of the Bucha massacre
< span> Terrible footage from the deoccupied Bucha, Gostomel and Irpen shocked the whole world and caused natural indignation among the leaders of all civilized countries. mass graves with dead Ukrainians were found in the liberated territories of Kyiv region. On the streets of Irpen, Bucha and other cities are bodies shot in the back of the head with their hands tied behind their backs, and burnt corpses on the roads. The world media and Ukrainian journalists report on the atrocities of Russian soldiers during almost a month of occupation of Kyiv region, including the rape of minors.
The best day that can come now is to punish war criminals. Including Russian generals who give orders, soldiers who shoot civilians, propagandists and artists who sing and lie in support of the bloody regime. But for this to happen, two conditions must be met. Which? Read about it in the article Inna Vedernikova « Depopulation of Russia. Who and how documents the atrocities of the “Russian measure” in Bucha “.
