With the recent attacks on Israel by Hamas and the ongoing conflict with Palestine, the war in Ukraine has not been talked about as much in recent months and still deserves the attention of the United States.
The war in Ukraine has been ongoing since 2014, and it has had a devastating impact on civilians. According to a report by Human Rights Watch, the war has caused widespread suffering for civilians, with Russian forces committing apparent war crimes and crimes against humanity, including torture, summary executions, and enforced disappearances. They have carried out indiscriminate attacks on civilian areas and repeatedly targeted energy infrastructure, leaving millions of civilians periodically without electricity, water, and heat as winter temperatures plunged.
Russian forces have killed, arbitrarily detained, tortured, and forcibly disappeared civilians. Detainees reported beatings, electric shocks, mock executions, and waterboarding, among other torture and mistreatment. Russian forces have also tortured Ukrainian prisoners of war. Russian soldiers held people in degrading conditions in basements, pits, boiler rooms, and factories. In December 2022, the UN reported that between February 24 and October 21, it had documented 86 cases of sexual violence, most by Russian forces, including rape, gang rape, forced nudity, and forced public stripping in various regions of Ukraine and in one penitentiary facility in Russia.
The United Nations has reported at least 6,919 civilian deaths and more than 11,000 wounded because of the war in Ukraine, with the actual figures estimated to be much higher. Approximately 6.5 million Ukrainians are internally displaced, and about 5 million have fled as refugees to European countries. About 2.8 million Ukrainians are in Russia and Belarus, in some cases against their will.
Russian forces havecommitted many deliberate attacks against civilian targets, massacres of civilians, torture and rape of women and children, torture, and mutilation of Ukrainian prisoners of war, and indiscriminate attacks in densely populated areas. The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) verified 9,614 deaths of civilians in Ukraine during the war as of September 20231. The war crimes include attacks on civilians and energy-related infrastructure, willful killings, torture and inhuman treatment, unlawful confinement, rape and unlawful transfers and deportations of children from Ukraine to the Russian Federation.
The Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) opened a full investigation into past and present allegations of war crimes, crimes against humanity, or genocide committed in Ukraine by any person from 21 November 2013 onwards, set up an online method for people with evidence to initiate contact with investigators, and sent a team of investigators, lawyers, and other professionals to Ukraine to begin collecting evidence. Two other independent international agencies are also investigating violations of human rights and of international humanitarian law in the area: the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine, established by the United Nations Human Rights Council on 4 March 2022, and the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, deployed by Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. The latter started monitoring human rights violations by all parties in 2014 and employs nearly 60 UN human rights monitors.
Some House Republicans are trying to block funding to Ukraine because it is something that President Biden and the democrats are fighting for. Senate republicans tend to have more of an understanding why funding Ukraine is so important, not just for the obvious reason the Russia attacked a sovereign country without provocation. The United States’ continued support of Ukraine is crucial for several reasons.
Firstly, it is a matter of upholding international law and order. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is a violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and the United States has a responsibility to support Ukraine in its efforts to defend itself.
Secondly, Ukraine is a key ally of the United States in the region, and supporting Ukraine helps to strengthen the United States’ strategic position in Eastern Europe. If Russia were to defeat Ukraine in this war it would just be a matter of time before Russia felt emboldened to invade one of our NATO allies which would involve the United States in a hot war.
Thirdly, supporting Ukraine is a way to counter Russian aggression and prevent further destabilization in the region. By providing military aid to Ukraine, the United States is helping to deplete Russia’s military resources, which in turn helps to reduce the threat that Russia poses to the United States and its allies. While it is true that funding Ukraine’s war with Russia is costing the United States 5% of its defense budget, the benefits of doing so far outweigh the costs. By supporting Ukraine, the United States is helping to uphold international law, strengthen its strategic position in the region, and counter Russian aggression, all of which are in the best interests of the United States and its allies.
It is important that the international community continues to monitor the situation and hold those responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity accountable. The United Nations and other international organizations must continue to provide humanitarian aid to those affected by the conflict and work towards a peaceful resolution of the conflict.
