UN Accuses Russian Army of Human Rights Violations

Following the refusal of the former president of Ukraine, Viktor Yanukovych, to further ties with the European Union, large portions of the Ukrainian populous staged riots and caused general unrest in Kiev. The riots, coupled with organized attacks by pro-EU militants, forced Yanukovych to flee Kiev, completing the coup. Since the overthrow of the central government in 2014, Ukraine has been in a state of civil war, with pro-Russian regions and insurgents attempting to take control of the country or gain autonomy from the revolutionaries. Russia began to provide support in the form of soldiers, supplies, and special forces, eventually culminating in the annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation. Russia installed a more cooperative government, caused over half of the Ukranian garrison in Crimea to defect, and ultimately caused the creation of The Republic of Crimea and their resulting vote to join the Russian Federation. The fighting continues to this day, with around 10 ceasefires attempted, all of which collapsed immediately

In the world of high-tech, electronic warfare that we’ve become accustomed to, the conflict in Ukraine is extremely low tech. So low tech, in fact, that Ukrainian soldiers actually report Russian snipers mocking them on their radios. Neither side is particularly high-tech or sophisticated in their approach to combat, but the Russian army’s superior equipment and training, combined with the action of pro-Russian insurgents, allowed them to gain a sizable amount of ground. However, the population of occupied areas aren’t exactly supportive of the Russian Federation, and local insurgents, as well as Ukrainian paramilitary groups, regularly launch attacks on Russian troops. As with any war throughout history, the use of irregular troops (any combatant that is not a regular part of the army, in this case insurgents and foreign mercenaries) leads to atrocities, especially when those groups prefer “Partisan” tactics, in the case of the Chechen groups. These self proclaimed Chechen “Death Battalions” prefer hit-and-run engagements, ambushes, and using concealed explosives to attack military installations or guarded civilian sites.

Recently, the UN has accused Russia of violating international law during its insurgency. The UN personnel describe “grave human rights violations, such as arbitrary arrests and detentions, enforced disappearances, ill-treatment and torture, and at least one extra-judicial execution”. This is not, however, an isolated incident in the Russian Federation’s occupations throughout history. Defectors and human rights groups have accused the Russian army of oppressing, even killing civilians in Chechnya since the first Chechen war. Human Rights Watch accuses Russian forces in support of Assad’s ruling Baathist (pan-Arab socialist) party in Syria of killing hundreds of civilians over the course of their intervention. It’s not too difficult to believe that Russian forces would clamp down on the whole populous to stop counter-insurgents from committing guerrilla actions, but that doesn’t mean its justified.

It’s not too far of a stretch to believe the accusations, given Russia’s approach to war. They demonstrate less regard for civilians than most other modern nations. While it’s SOMEWHAT understandable to make mistakes, especially when your enemy hides behind and among civilians, the Russia has a history of complete disregard for civilians, even their own. Take the Beslan school siege, for example, where 300+ civilians were killed and 700 more injured when the FSB (Russian equivalent of the FBI) stormed the building with incendiary weapons and fired through civilians to kill approximately 30 Chechen terrorists, capturing one who was since disappeared. Back in the 90’s, the Russian army extensively shelled the Chechen capitol of Grozny, killing an estimated 2,000 civilians. In Syria, Russia has repeatedly killed civilians as a result of negligence and plain disregard, in support of the inhumane, cruel Baathist regime of Bashar Al-Assad, which has intentionally attacked and killed civilians with illegal chemical weapons. Going back to World War 2, the Red Army targeted their own civilians, German non-combatants, and even THEMSELVES during their march to Berlin. No wonder so many communist bloc citizens joined up with the Germans.

However, taking sides based on stereotypes would be foolish. Despite what many believe, the Russian Federation is not the Soviet Union. Though, the Russian Federation has shown disregard for civilians, it’s not near as deliberate or severe as that of the USSR. To look at it from their side, it’s much easier to suppress the whole population than lose soldiers and equipment to guerrillas.