The Costs of The Russo-Ukrainian War
It’s Day 435 of Russia’s Three-Day “Special Military Operation”
The war in Ukraine with Russia has been dragging on for over a year, which was considered to have the second most powerful army in the world, in a battle of attrition with Ukraine, a country that has a smaller defense budget. How has that affected the civilian population?
There have been widespread reports of mistreatment by Russian troops in cities that have been occupied by the Russian Armed Forces, ranging from forced deportation, to sexual assault, and extrajudicial killings. The most well-known examples have been Russian actions in the cities of Bucha and Mariupol. In Bucha, CCTV footage and eyewitness accounts show Russian troops bringing a line of captured men and territorial defense force border guards. The men were then executed in a courtyard with their hands tied behind their backs. In Mariupol, children separated from their parents when the city fell to Russian control and were sent to Russia, where they were forced to read a script saying how the Russians saved them.
These violations of the civil liberties of civilians have demonized the average Russian soldier though, and have caused people to mistreat Russian POWs (Prisoners of War). One example can be seen in a video of a Russian POW being tortured in a nondescript building with a metal rod.
Although many people would view the war in black and white, or good versus evil, war should be seen as different shades of gray, as behind every rifle is a person with a family and a life outside the battlefield.
