The whole world is shocked by how Russia systematically destroys peaceful Ukrainian cities, cynically killing ordinary Ukrainians, because the number of dead civilians is already in the thousands and exceeded the losses of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in battles. By shelling Ukraine’s major cities, injuring and killing hundreds of civilians, the Kremlin continues to lie that its targets are only military objects. Russia has already many times confirmed its status as a terrorist country with its indiscriminate bombing, deliberate attacks on civilian targets.
It is Russia’s old tradition used in the wars in Chechnya, the civil war in Syria, and now in Ukraine by shelling civilian targets. Residential buildings, museums, theatres, schools and other facilities that the Kremlin stubbornly pass off as military targets are under attack. Let us recall, for example, the air strike of Russian aviation on March 16, 2022 on the Donetsk Academic Regional Drama Theater in Mariupol, which was used as a shelter for civilians during the Russian offensive. As a result, up to 600 people died from the dropped Russian bomb.
Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russian terrorists have been deliberately destroying civilian objects, infrastructure and the population. In Ukraine, about 32,000 civilian objects and more than 700 critical infrastructure facilities have been damaged by Russian shelling. Thus, according to the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, about 32,000 civilian objects were affected by Russian terrorists’ shelling — these are mainly private and apartment buildings of civilians, about 3 % of recorded shelling occurred at military facilities. Russian strikes were also recorded on more than 700 critical infrastructure facilities. These are transport, energy and other facilities — airfields, bridges, fuel bases, power substations. Recently, attacks on Dnipro have become more frequent, despite the fact that it is not on the front line. All these Russia’s systematic attacks on residential areas of Ukrainian cities are nothing but rocket terror, the main targets of which are civilian objects. To stop this Russian terror, Ukraine needs support, first of all, modern air defense systems that will change the course of the war and effectively protect civilians in Ukraine.
Russia will have to answer for its atrocities in accordance with the Geneva Convention for Protection of Civilians in International Armed Conflicts. Indeed, in the case when a state violates international humanitarian law, other countries can apply measures of responsibility to it, up to the complete international isolation of the state. The Nuremberg trials can be considered as a starting point in the issue of individual responsibility. It is not only condemned Nazi criminals, but also initiated trials against politicians and the military in many countries. And, most importantly, it initiated the very discussion about the responsibility of high-ranking officials for crimes during the war. Therefore, the Russian Federation cannot avoid the punishment for its crimes, it is inevitable and get closer with every cynical blow on peaceful facilities in Ukraine.