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Russia’s Aggression and War Crimes

Midttun, Hans Peter. "Putin is asking the West to surrender Ukraine, international law, and its core values and principles." Euromaidan Press, October 29, 2022.  https://euromaidanpress.com/2022/10/29/putin-is-asking-the-west-to-surrender-ukraine-international-law-and-its-core-values-and-principles/

• "To continue to refer to the war as just a war between Russia and Ukraine undermines Western credibility. It is already a broader confrontation between Russia and NATO. Even the EU has acknowledged the threat."

Kazak, Klaidas. "Russia had a secret plan to wipe Ukraine off the face of the Earth. This report tells why it failed." Euromaidan Press, December 4, 2022. https://euromaidanpress.com/2022/12/04/russian-invasion-of-ukraine-rusi-report/

• “Dividing Ukrainians into four categories for killing, intimidating, or inducing to collaborate, wargames to hunt down and kill Ukrainian activists, and filtration camps to deport unruly Ukrainians into Russia, all to destroy Ukrainian sovereignty and identity and steal Ukraine’s military enterprises and nuclear power plants….In a hark back to Stalinist-era repressions, Russia had planned to use filtration camps to ‘establish counterintelligence files on large portions of the population in the occupied territories’...Over time, Russia had planned to completely eradicate any trace of Ukrainian identity, culture, and history by starting with bringing ‘teachers and other officials’… to engage in the re-education of Ukrainians.”

Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security. "This is what genocide looks like: Russian torture chambers in Kharkiv Oblast." Euromaidan Press, October 25, 2022. https://euromaidanpress.com/2022/10/25/this-is-what-genocide-looks-like-russian-torture-chambers-in-kharkiv-oblast/

"Russia holds captive over 3,000 Ukrainian soldiers." Euromaidan Press, December 30, 2022. https://euromaidanpress.com/2022/12/30/russia-holds-captive-over-3000-ukrainian-soldiers/

• “‘Russia systematically violates the Geneva Convention and does not allow the International Committee of the Red Cross to get access to Ukrainian prisoners of war and check on the conditions of their incarceration,’ stated Olena Verbytska, President’s Commissioner for the Protection of the Rights of Defenders of Ukraine. ’Unfortunately, we do not know what happened to around 15,000 Ukrainian citizens who are now missing. Russia may also hold them captive or may have forcibly deported them to Russia from the Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine.’”

Melkozerova, Nika. Twitter [@NikaMelkozerova], April 4, 2022. https://twitter.com/nikamelkozerova/status/1511011811440660482

• "On April 3, the day world found out about Bucha massacre, the Russian state Ria Novosti published a story that called for the ethnic cleansing of Ukrainians, justifying the Russian right to do so. We translated it and explained.

"From the archives: Kremlin’s mouthpiece RIA publishes Russian fascist manifesto." New Voice of Ukraine, August 13, 2022. https://english.nv.ua/nation/kremlin-s-mouthpiece-ria-publishes-russian-fascist-manifesto-50231047.html

• "Editor's note: 'The article is a piece of Russian propaganda aimed at spreading hatred against Ukrainians, labeling the whole nation enemies of Russia that deserve ethnic cleansing under Russian control. We decided that in the interests of alerting the world to the depths to which Russia has already sunk into fascism, and to provide evidence for future cases in international courts of the Kremlin’s intention to carry out ethnic cleaning in Ukraine, we would publish this piece, albeit with this disclaimer and annotations within the text noting its most egregious falsehoods.'”

"Polish Senate recognizes Russian authorities as a terrorist regime." Euromaidan Press, October 26, 2022. https://euromaidanpress.com/2022/10/26/polish-senate-recognizes-russian-authorities-as-a-terrorist-regime/

Russian Orthodox Church Promoting Genocide

"Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment." Institute for the Study of War, December 24, 2022. https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-december-24

• “The Russian Orthodox Church — a Kremlin-controlled institution — asked the Kremlin for a mobilization exemption for its clergy, despite avidly supporting Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine... [Patriarch] Kirill, however, publicly stated that he shares Putin’s opinions on very ‘important issues’ and called on Russians to ‘spiritually mobilize’ so that Russia and Ukraine can reunite into the one sphere of the Russian Orthodox Church. Russian priests have also repeatedly blessed Russian military personnel and equipment before combat and while dressed in military uniforms prior to Putin’s mobilization order.”

Ben, Bohdan. "Anti-Ukrainian leaflets, cash found in Security Service’s largest-yet raid on Moscow-affiliated church." Euromaidan Press, November 23, 2022. https://euromaidanpress.com/2022/11/23/security-service-searched-350-church-buildings-and-850-people-of-moscow-patriarchate-church-in-ukraine/

Mistakes of the West

Suciu, Peter. "What If Obama Had Given Weapons To Ukraine?"  19Forty Five, December 27, 2022.  https://www.19fortyfive.com/2022/12/what-if-obama-had-given-weapons-to-ukraine/

• "The Obama administration had refused to provide Ukraine with lethal weapons in 2014...Since the 2014 annexation of Crimea by Russia, the Obama, Trump, and Biden administrations all held back or at least delayed military aid...Ukraine shouldn’t have given up its nuclear weapons as part of the Budapest Memorandum. Had it remained a nuclear power, Russia’s invasion likely would have never occurred."

Applebaum, Anne. Twitter [anneapplebaum], January 3, 2022. https://twitter.com/anneapplebaum/status/1478252524134182912

• "NATO is a defensive alliance. It does deterrence. As the Cold War showed, deterrence works. It would work in Ukraine too. If we had helped Ukraine build its military capacity, Russia would not be threatening it now."

Mordovanec, Nick. "U.S. Is Giving Russia 'Sanctuary' From Long-Range Strikes: Ex-U.S. General." Newsweek, December 30, 2022.  https://www.newsweek.com/us-giving-russia-sanctuary-long-range-strikes-1770437

• “A former U.S. military official is questioning why the United States is allowing Russia to fire missiles into Ukraine seemingly at will. ’Why do we allow Russia to fire from sanctuary?’ [Retired US Army Commanding General] Hodges tweeted on Friday. ‘By not providing ATACMS (Army Tactical Missile Systems), F16's and other long-range strike capabilities to UKR, we have in effect granted sanctuary to Russia which is able to kill innocent civilians in Ukraine without fear of consequences. Undefendable policy…Russian expert Dmitry Gorenburg of the Center for Naval Analyses told Newsweek Ukraine's victory could come quicker if the West did provide additional weapons, instead of ‘deterring itself because of phantom fears that Russia would somehow escalate if Ukraine were given certain kinds of offensive weapons.’"

Applebaum, Anne. "The U.S. Is Naive About Russia. Ukraine Can’t Afford to Be." The Atlantic, January 3, 2022. https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2022/01/ukraine-russia-kyiv-putin-bluff/621145

• "Putin is right about one thing: A free, prosperous, democratic neighbor is a threat to his autocratic regime. The Ukrainians, in the government and in the opposition, have no difficulty understanding that their conflict with Russia will involve violence, because it already does. Americans and Europeans, meanwhile, desperately want a solution involving nothing more than diplomacy and sanctions.

• “Seen from Kyiv, the Western attitude toward Russia also looks incredibly naive. Since the Russian invasion of Georgia in 2008, Americans and Europeans have constantly been surprised by Russia, by Russian aggression, by Russian territorial ambitions, by Russian interference in our own political systems, by Russian attempts to destroy our alliances. But although Putin varies his tactics, his longer-term goals have been very clear for a very long time. He might use disinformation one year, gas-pipeline blackmail another, bribery or violence the next, but the endgame is always the same: reinforce his autocracy, undermine democracies – all democracies – and push Russian political influence as far as it will go. Break up NATO. Destroy the European Union. Remove American influence from Europe and everywhere else, forever.

• “Americans need to stop being surprised by this list of goals, and instead start writing a list of our own."

Rice, Condoleezza and Robert M. Gates. “Time is not on Ukraine’s side.” Washington Post, January 7, 2023. https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/01/07/condoleezza-rice-robert-gates-ukraine-repel-russia/

Ukraine needs prompt and decisive aid to preserve democracy and defeat Russia’s totalitarian aggression.

Western Companies Supplying Russia’s Terror Machine

Ryabchiy, Kate. “How to cut off the oxygen to Russia’s war machine.” Euromaidan Press, December 31, 2022

https://euromaidanpress.com/2022/12/31/how-to-cut-off-the-oxygen-to-russias-war-machine/

• “Trap Aggressor [a project of Institute for War and Peace Reporting [IWPR] supported by the Royal Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs] found 39 types of Russian weapons and equipment with foreign processors, modules, and chips by analyzing battlefield evidence in Ukraine. Tanks, airborne combat vehicles, fighter jets, night vision devices, binoculars, and radios are some examples…According to Trap Aggressor analysis, a Russian 9M727 Iskander cruise missile contains 20 foreign components.  15 out of these components are US-made. Out of these 15 components, Texas Instruments used to supply the most (eight) components for Iskanders.”

Steblivskyo, Roman. "Imported Accessories Found in Military Equipment of the Enemy’s Army. What Companies Haven’t Exited the Russian Market?" Trap Aggressor, October 11, 2022. https://texty.org.ua/articles/107933/imported-accessories-found-in-military-equipment-of-the-enemys-army-what-companies-havent-exited-the-russian-market/

"More than 30 Western companies’ components found in Iranian UAVs Shahed-136." State Watch, November 16, 2022. 

https://statewatch.org.ua/en/publications/more-than-30-western-companies-components-found-in-iranian-uavs-shahed-136/

Bertrand, Natasha.  “A single Iranian attack drone found to contain parts from more than a dozen US companies.” CNN, January 4, 2023. https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/04/politics/iranian-drone-parts-13-us-companies-ukraine-russia/index.html

Supporting Ukrainian Victory and World Peace

Bugayova, Nataliya. "Target Russia's Capability, Not Its Intent." Institute for Understanding of War, December 20, 2022. https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/target-russia%E2%80%99s-capability-not-its-intent

• “US policy should recognize that the Kremlin’s intent regarding Ukraine is maximalist, inflexible, and will not change in the foreseeable future…Negotiations, ceasefires, and peace deals are not off-ramps but rather on-ramps for the Kremlin to renew its attack on Ukraine in the future under conditions that advantage Russia. They are means to the same ends—full control of Ukraine and eradication of Ukraine’s statehood and identity.

• “The vital US interest in preventing future Russian attacks on Ukraine can be best achieved by denying Russia the capability to carry out those attacks. The immediate requirement is preserving Ukraine’s momentum on the battlefield…The West should also eliminate Russia’s ability to attack Ukraine in the future, including by denying Russia a military foothold in Ukraine from which to launch attacks, resisting ‘peace’ deals that the Kremlin will use to buy time to reconstitute its forces, not empowering the Russian defense industrial complex with access to Western markets, and committing to building Ukraine's defensive capabilities over the long term.

• “The United States must help Ukraine liberate its territories and people through a large-scale counteroffensive or risk facing the same challenge with the same escalation risks under worse conditions in the future. A Russian military foothold in Ukraine is a threat to US interests, as it implies tremendous future military and economic requirements for the United States, NATO, and European Union and creates additional vulnerabilities while carrying the same escalation risks.”

Bremmer, Ian. Twitter [@ianbremmer], December 27, 2022. https://twitter.com/ianbremmer/status/1607800909932773379

• "Ukraine’s 10 point peace plan is completely reasonable. It’s the minimum any sovereign country would deserve and respect. Which is why it’s a non-starter with Putin."

Guzman, Leonid. “Once Unthinkable, Capitulation Could Still Be Russia's Saving Grace.” The Moscow Times, January 4, 2023. https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2023/01/04/once-unthinkable-capitulation-could-still-be-russias-saving-grace-a79873

• “The war started by Vladimir Putin has no goals that can be achieved. It's not about trying to prevent Ukraine from joining NATO — that can’t be resolved through warfare. It’s not about ensuring that people can speak Russian in the Donbas — they could do that anyway. It’s certainly not about destroying U.S. labs manufacturing infertility viruses targeting Russian women: those simply do not exist. This war is solely about destroying Ukraine: as a state, as a culture, as a nation…As Ukraine can never agree to Russia's demand that it cease to exist as a state, the war cannot be ended by signing a peace treaty. This war can only be followed by peace if it ends with the complete military and political defeat of Putin’s Russia and the dismantling of the current regime. Putin’s state must cease to exist: not Russia, but the current state, hostile to the entire world, itself included. Any other outcome would only result in a temporary ceasefire, as once Putin’s regime will simply go on another attack as soon as it's replenished its strength.”

Shandra, Alya. "The world will not fall apart if Russia does – Ukraine’s foreign minister." Euromaidan Press, December 30, 2022. https://euromaidanpress.com/2022/12/30/the-world-will-not-fall-apart-if-russia-does-ukraines-foreign-minister/

Twining, Daniel. “Ukraine Is Already Paying Us Back.” Politico, January 4, 2023. https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/opinion-ukraine-is-already-paying-us-back/ar-AA15Xhmd

• “The Ukrainian people have created an independent democratic alternative to the vassal state Putin seeks — one that is worth fighting for…America must not squander the remarkable strategic dividends that U.S. taxpayers’ investment in Ukraine has yielded. Extraordinarily, Ukrainians have had three peaceful revolutions to push its course towards freedom…Ukraine is doing something no one thought possible: defeating the Russian army and, in doing so, crippling one of America’s most dangerous adversaries. This is primarily a credit to the fortitude, patriotism, and skill of the Ukrainian people. But it’s also something Americans can take pride in.”

Russia’s Pathologies

Somin, Ilya. "What We've Learned from a Century of Communism." Foundation for Economic Education, November 9, 2017. https://fee.org/articles/what-weve-learned-from-a-century-of-communism/

Jeffries, Wesley. "The Truth about 'Russian Shock Therapy.'" Law and Liberty, December 26, 2022. https://lawliberty.org/the-truth-about-russian-shock-therapy/

• “Post-communist Russia never truly gave market capitalism a chance. Communist-era managers abused their power “to disempower the workers under their control and ultimately dispossess them even of the nominal shareholdings they had in the company… Worker-shareholders were regularly pressured to surrender their shares at deep discounts. Communist-era managers threatened to dismiss workers who refused, or punished them with delayed wage payments, which in turn caused hardships that made workers desperate for quick cash in exchange for their shares.  Auctions were rigged so opening bids were set well below market value while higher competing bids were dismissed as not credible. Foreign investors were barred altogether. The same bankers organizing the auctions awarded themselves the winning bids and then acquired state assets at only nominal prices. This ’loans-for-shares’ scam, as it became known, would mark the transformation of this new banking and commodity trading cartel into what became known as the ‘oligarchs’ as they used their new wealth to consolidate their influence over the government. If the effective toleration of criminal violence by the new government was a major contributor to the failure of reforms in Russia, so too was the relative impunity enjoyed by communists for past crimes and present agitation…The Soviet Union never had its Nuremberg [war crimes trials].”

Zhukov, Konstantin. “Only Free Markets Will Liberate Russia.” Foundation for Economic Education, July 20, 2017. https://fee.org/articles/only-free-markets-will-liberate-russia/