NATO must make Putin pay for Russian war crimes in Ukraine
When Ukraine’s U.N. ambassador Sergiy Kyslytsya addressed a particular Safety Council session on Tuesday concerning the destruction of the Nova Kakhovka dam, he confronted his Russian counterpart as “the consultant of Putin’s terrorist regime…that has detonated a bomb of mass environmental destruction.”
That claims all of it.
Who can doubt that it was Moscow that unleashed the biggest man-made catastrophe in Europe for the reason that 1986 nuclear meltdown in Chernobyl? However Chernobyl — one other Russian desecration of Ukrainian soil — was brought on by Soviet incompetence. This huge ecological crime was deliberate.
By destroying the dam, Vladimir Putin meant to impede Ukraine’s counteroffensive to drive Russia out of occupied Ukrainian territory, a vital enterprise which has simply gotten began.
He should not be allowed to succeed.
Ukrainian forces will now be unable to cross the flooded Dnipro River with armored autos in coming weeks (though this method had not been seemingly) for the reason that land on each side has been changed into rivulets and soggy mush.
Ukrainian governmental consideration, and the main target of its allies, will likely be taken up with an enormous rescue operation, and resettling of extra refugees, lessening the deal with the army entrance.
Little question Russia additionally hopes the prospect of monumental financial and environmental harm, brought on by the dam’s collapse, will undermine Ukrainian morale — and weaken the need of its supporters.
NATO allies should make instantly clear that this isn’t the case.
Sure, the U.S. is reportedly nonetheless combing the intelligence to obviously decide if Russia is in charge for the dam’s destruction.
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist, nonetheless, to notice that the Russians have been in whole management of the dam and all the hydroelectric facility for greater than a 12 months. As Kyslytsya famous: “It’s bodily not possible to blow it up in some way from the skin by shelling. It was mined by the Russian occupiers. They usually blew it up.” Consultants additionally imagine the explosion needed to come from inside.
Late final 12 months, the Kremlin was testing the worldwide urge for food to swallow its lies if Russia destroyed the dam. On the United Nations in October, Russia falsely claimed Ukraine was about to explode the construction and blame Moscow.
In October, Russia hesitated. However now — frightened of the Ukrainian counteroffensive — officers in Moscow have carried out what they earlier threatened, though they’re making an attempt to obscure the deed with propaganda.
That is the widespread Kremlin modus operandi: Blame the sufferer on your crimes. Simply as they claimed that it was Ukraine that destroyed Mariupol or left corpses strewn on the streets of Bucha. Simply as they declare they by no means goal civilians, once they have systematically focused civilians and civilian infrastructure.
Simply as they nonetheless declare their invasion is a “particular army operation” aimed to get rid of “Ukrainian Nazis.”
It was particularly vicious that this conflict crime occurred on June 6, the 79th anniversary of the D-Day invasion that marked the start of Nazi Germany’s downfall. Little question Putin obtained perverse pleasure out of twisting this historic day into his ugly narrative claiming Ukrainians are the Nazis. The destroyed dam exhibits, as soon as once more, that it’s Russia now enjoying that genocidal function.
So it’s vital that the USA shortly assemble and declassify intelligence that factors the finger straight on the Russian perpetrator — and lay it out on the U.N. Safety Council. Moscow should not be allowed to muddy its accountability for this conflict crime — whose lasting ecological harm may also have an effect on Europe.
It is usually essential that NATO international locations clarify to Moscow that if any comparable catastrophe happens on the Zaporizhzhia nuclear energy plant, upstream from the dam and in addition occupied by Russia, the blame will likely be positioned squarely on the Kremlin.
U.N. and Ukrainian specialists say the dam’s collapse doesn’t pose an instantaneous menace to the plant’s security however could have a long run influence.
Most important, the West should offset Russia’s ecological bomb, not solely with fast support to deal with the calamity, however with the precise army programs Ukraine wants to achieve the counteroffensive. Extra air defenses, lengthy vary missiles, F-16s, every part wanted to point out that Putin’s conflict crimes won’t go unpunished.
And at last, the July NATO summit in Vilnius, Estonia, should supply Ukraine a path to enter the coalition and safety ensures till that occurs.
Putin’s newest conflict crime has proven why, for the protection of Europe and our personal nation, Russia’s vile president can’t be allowed to succeed.
Trudy Rubin is a Philadelphia Inquirer columnist. ©2023 The Philadelphia Inquirer. Distributed by Tribune Content material Company.
