It is impossible to maintain normal political relations with criminals. The leaders of Russia must now be considered criminals.
The war in Ukraine is not a just war, but a war of annexation, justified by hazy theories and false threats. Contrary to Russian claims, Ukraine is not in Nazi hands, Ukrainians are not Russians, and no country threatens Russia’s territorial integrity. These fabrications and the attack on Ukraine do not, however, make Russian leaders war criminals.
There is also the way. This is where the war crimes begin.
In almost all wars, armed units on both sides commit barbaric acts that fall into the category of war crimes.
However, these crimes generally do not engage the responsibility of the leaders of the countries, but rather that of those who commit them and that of their immediate superiors.
Poutine order
Unfortunately, Putin and his gang ordered the Russian military to commit war crimes. In fact, Putin even bragged regarding it, a glass of champagne in his hand.
He tried to minimize them by referring to the water cuts that the Ukrainian army allegedly imposed on a city in southern Ukraine under Russian occupation. It is a double error.
On the one hand, according to a known principle of justice, the acts of barbarism of its enemies do not excuse its own. Next, Russia is the aggressor, and the extreme actions of the Ukrainian military can be seen as desperate actions of self-defense.
Putin is unable to win the war in Ukraine with a conventional army. He therefore decided to attack the civilian population directly. Unarmed people, who do not directly threaten Russian soldiers.
He decided, in the middle of winter, to deprive them of running water and electricity. He decided to destroy civilian buildings, such as hospitals and schools.
These destructions do not advance the Russian army. On the contrary, they galvanize the Ukrainian population.
Wish in 2023
Putin’s intentional bombings of civilian targets are not acts of war intended to win battles. They look like gestures of revenge and spite. These are war crimes. This turns Putin and his government into war criminals.
No government should have normal relations with them anymore, because they are criminals.
The first thing to do is to reduce diplomatic relations with Russia to a minimum.
Canada should lead by example and demand that the number of Russian diplomats stationed in the country be kept to a minimum until Putin’s government falls.
Out the Russian diplomats!
Let’s give ourselves this gift in 2023.