Zelenskyy accuses Russia of genocide for alleged atrocities

[pieter]

[Jaga]

Pieter, Karl and all,
these pictures of what happened in Bucha near Kiev and also on other places in Ukraine that Russian troops left look terrible. There are bodies lying along the roads, civilians on the bicycles but also people with their hands tied at the back. This is a terrible cruelty. It took 5 years of war to destroy Warsaw, Polish capital. The Mariupol was destroyed in a month. It is a cruelty and chaos and disregard of human life.

here is just one of many links, but you all have already posted enough:
www.politico.com/news/2022/04/03/ukraine-accuses-russia-massacre-00022595

[pieter]

Jaga,

It seems that the only option the Ukrainians have is to fight to the bitter end, because the Russians are regrouping in Belarus, at the Donbas Eastern border and in Crimea. I even heard they are bringing in private mercenaries of the Wagner Group (Russian: Группа Вагнера), also known as PMC Wagner, ChVK Wagner (ChVK being the Russian abbreviation for Private Military Company), or CHVK Vagner (ЧВК Вагнера ChVK Vagnera, Частная Военная Компания Вагнера), a Russian paramilitary organization. It is variously described as a private military company, a network of mercenaries. You could call the Wagner Group the Russian version of Academi (Blackwater/Xe Services), the Wagner Group has build up a notorious status due to their role in the the First and Second Chechen Wars ( from 11 December 1994 – 31 August 1996 and from 7 August 1999 – 31 May 2000) in the Central-African Republic, and from 2014 on in Crimea and Eastern Ukraine, Syria 🇸🇾, Sudan, Madagascar, Libya, Venezuela, Mozambique and Mali.

Russia will probably bring in fresh new troops from the Russian army and maybe men of the National Guard of the Russian Federation, which is “a kind of Praetorian Guard to deal with the internal enemy", also called the Putin Guard. The Rosgvardyia (National Guard) could be seen as an attempt by Vladimir Putin to create a private army to control civil strife or attempts of a colour revolution, not only domestically but also abroad in friendly regimes. It would not be surprising if Putin brings in his National Guard next to the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation (the Russian Armed Forces).

According to TASS news agency, National Guard has some powers similar to the functions discharged by the Federal Security Service, FSB, the follow up of the KGB.

The presence of the Rosgvardyia, Wagner Group, the Seperatist Donetsk People's Militia and Lugansk People's Militia and Chechen fighters of Chechenia, the Kadyrovites (also known as the Kadyrovtsy), and maybe Hezbollah (fighting on the Russian side) is worrisome.



Cheers,
Pieter

[karl]

Pieter and Jaga

This is indeed a shameful manner of conducting war, for war is bad enough, but to add to the shame, is to kill needlessly those civilians that are only trying to survive. It is one thing in combat to kill the enemy solders, but to kill in such a way as displayed so many civilians is so very shameful.

Karl

[Jaga]

Karl and Pieter, I spent probably too much time to watch news in the US and then in Poland. Polish news is much more detailed about what is going on in Ukraine. The atrocities are like ISIS. Pieter, I cannot imagine why Russia still wants to fight.
I did not know about Wagner's group until this war, they are criminals in white gloves killing people like special service.

I am not sure how all of this will end, but the UN and Europe and US should do more.

[pieter]