Russia condemned for mass killings of Ukrainians
The Russian army has caught the world off guard with its apparent mass killings of civilians in the towns of Ukraine along with other atrocities such as sexual offenses and even torture. Ukraine said it has recovered more than 410 corpses in Bucha and other cities on the outskirts of Kyiv who were victims of atrocities committed by Russian troops.
Agonizing images of Bucha reported by global news outlets show dead people with their hands bound behind their backs with many of them being shot to death at close range. The footage of a mass grave in Bucha vividly demonstrates the cruelties committed by Russian troops.
Russia has been the target of international condemnation since it fired missiles at civilian facilities such as hospitals and kindergartens from the beginning of the war. They allegedly used weapons like thermobaric bombs and cluster bombs which are prohibited by the Geneva Conventions and even threatened to use nuclear weapons.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy claimed Russian troops killed thousands of civilians including children and tortured and raped Ukrainian women. A woman said Russian soldiers shot her husband and son in front of her before raping her. Wartime rape was defined as a war crime by the International Criminal Court (ICC) in 1998. International human rights organizations criticized the Russian army for committing rapes as part of its military tactics, thus sowing the seeds of deep trauma in Ukrainian society.
Russia's atrocities have fanned an outcry in the global community. Yet Russia has denied the allegations of its army's misconduct, describing them as "signs of video forgery and various fakes."
Russia claims the civilians whose bodies were laying on the streets of Bucha were killed after its troops withdrew from the city around March 30. But the New York Times unveiled an analysis of satellite images that rebuts the Russian claim and shows many of the civilians were killed more than three weeks ago when the Russian army was occupying the city.
On Monday, U.S. President Joe Biden dubbed Russian President Vladimir Putin a war criminal who should stand trial. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres cited the need for an independent investigation into the case to reveal the truth and punish the responsible people. Even Pope Francis implicitly slammed Putin on Saturday for "fomenting conflict," saying he was considering a visit to Kyiv.
Without a doubt, Russia's massacre of civilians is clearly a war crime that violates international law. Those responsible for such inhuman crimes should receive punishment without fail after the truth is revealed following thorough investigations. Russia is threatening the world with its military forces and energy resources.
Seoul should more proactively join global efforts to provide assistance to Ukraine and impose more economic sanctions on Russia. Global citizens will remember Putin as a slaughterer regardless of the consequences of the ongoing war. We strongly condemn Putin's brutal criminal acts and urge him to stop the crimes and the war immediately.
The Russian army has caught the world off guard with its apparent mass killings of civilians in the towns of Ukraine along with other atrocities such as sexual offenses and even torture. Ukraine said it has recovered more than 410 corpses in Bucha and other cities on the outskirts of Kyiv who were victims of atrocities committed by Russian troops.
Agonizing images of Bucha reported by global news outlets show dead people with their hands bound behind their backs with many of them being shot to death at close range. The footage of a mass grave in Bucha vividly demonstrates the cruelties committed by Russian troops.
Russia has been the target of international condemnation since it fired missiles at civilian facilities such as hospitals and kindergartens from the beginning of the war. They allegedly used weapons like thermobaric bombs and cluster bombs which are prohibited by the Geneva Conventions and even threatened to use nuclear weapons.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy claimed Russian troops killed thousands of civilians including children and tortured and raped Ukrainian women. A woman said Russian soldiers shot her husband and son in front of her before raping her. Wartime rape was defined as a war crime by the International Criminal Court (ICC) in 1998. International human rights organizations criticized the Russian army for committing rapes as part of its military tactics, thus sowing the seeds of deep trauma in Ukrainian society.
Russia's atrocities have fanned an outcry in the global community. Yet Russia has denied the allegations of its army's misconduct, describing them as "signs of video forgery and various fakes."
Russia claims the civilians whose bodies were laying on the streets of Bucha were killed after its troops withdrew from the city around March 30. But the New York Times unveiled an analysis of satellite images that rebuts the Russian claim and shows many of the civilians were killed more than three weeks ago when the Russian army was occupying the city.
On Monday, U.S. President Joe Biden dubbed Russian President Vladimir Putin a war criminal who should stand trial. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres cited the need for an independent investigation into the case to reveal the truth and punish the responsible people. Even Pope Francis implicitly slammed Putin on Saturday for "fomenting conflict," saying he was considering a visit to Kyiv.
Without a doubt, Russia's massacre of civilians is clearly a war crime that violates international law. Those responsible for such inhuman crimes should receive punishment without fail after the truth is revealed following thorough investigations. Russia is threatening the world with its military forces and energy resources.
Seoul should more proactively join global efforts to provide assistance to Ukraine and impose more economic sanctions on Russia. Global citizens will remember Putin as a slaughterer regardless of the consequences of the ongoing war. We strongly condemn Putin's brutal criminal acts and urge him to stop the crimes and the war immediately.
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