Russia Commits Genocide in Ukraine. Will the World Respond?

The Kremlin's main goal is not simply to conquer territory, but to completely destroy Ukrainian national identity and, as a result, Ukraine's very existence as an independent state.

The Gaze reports on this with reference to the article ‘Russia's War on Ukraine: An Unprecedented Act of Genocide Targeting Ukraine's National Identity and Existence.’

The article emphasises that Russia's actions, such as the mass killing of civilians, the systematic destruction of critical infrastructure that sustains the lives of millions, and the forced assimilation of Ukrainian children, meet all the criteria for genocide under international law.

Russian propagandists and officials openly call for the destruction of Ukrainians as a nation, blatantly denying their right to their own history, culture, and independent statehood. This is a deliberate policy of dehumanisation that precedes mass crimes.

The article cites specific, shocking examples of atrocities committed by Russian troops. These include horrific mass killings in the town of Bucha, near Kyiv, where numerous evidence of extrajudicial executions has been found; relentless shelling of Mariupol, which reduced the city to ruins and caused the deaths of tens of thousands of civilians; and the forced deportation of hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian children to Russia for the purpose of their violent ‘re-education’ and assimilation.

These crimes are not isolated incidents, but part of a systematic strategy. The International Criminal Court has already responded to these atrocities by issuing arrest warrants for a number of Russian generals and Vladimir Putin himself on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity, including the illegal deportation of children.

The author of the article emphasises the vital need for the international community not only to thoroughly document these crimes, but also to take active steps to ensure that all those responsible are brought to justice. Forgetting or ignoring this war and its horrific consequences, the author notes, would mean a sad repetition of the tragedies of the 20th century, when the impunity of aggressors led to new, even greater catastrophes.

Thus, the war against Ukraine is a test for the entire civilised world of its ability to uphold the principles of international law and human dignity.

As The Gaze reported earlier, Russia carried out a large-scale overnight aerial assault across Ukraine, striking multiple cities with drones and missiles and leaving dozens wounded and several dead. The most severe damage was recorded in Kyiv, where at least four people were killed and 20 injured in the capital's worst attack in recent weeks.