War Zone Diary #23 – Russian POWs being shot/abused

Good morning US of A.,

There are two items of interest in today’s news.
1). #Warcrime video.
2). #Oscars video.

Neither is very savory, but both are newsworthy… at least one is in my estimation. First, I forgot the Oscar’s were last night, and while I am always interested in entertainment, I have never followed entertainment news.

So on to #2. I’ll offer some quick analysis. This is the first video evidence of Ukrainian war crimes. This is a legitimate video (i.e. not faked) and it depicts Ukrainian troops, likely Territorial Defense men, intentionally injuring Russian Prisoner’s of War (POWs) post-capture. It is a war crime and it is heinous.

FILE PHOTO: Militants of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic take part in shooting drills at a range on the outskirts of Donetsk, Ukraine, December 14, 2021. REUTERS/Alexander Ermochenko/File Photo

The video is available on the internet, I do not propagate pictures of POWs as it is against the Geneva Convention, so I’ll just say Google it if you feel compelled to see it. The video portrays a very real aspect of war, and especially this war. And is an expected failure given the duration and intensity of the conflict. I very much doubt it will be the last time we see this, although, given the Ukrainian philosophy on public relations, I expect we will see public and swift justice. Covering things like this up are never possible in free countries with open media, and even dictatorships like Russia are not able to contain things like this for very long. What can I say, the truth eventually always surfaces.

Let’s get in to it a little more, because things on the surface are rarely as they seem. I’ll offer this up first, I have no greater information than that which has already been posted on the internet and Twitter, my analysis is my own, and I don’t mind offering an opinion and also daring to be wrong. In fact, I very much hope that I am wrong in a lot of the following supposition.

The images are undeniably from the war in Ukraine. Some web-forensicates (made that up btw) are already validating the location (looks like it’s in between two factories in Kharkiv). There is an extended version which shows the POWs (ID’d by their uniforms and the bindings holding their arms behind their backs) which depicts them shortly after being offloaded from a truck. A soldier enters from the left and shoots first one, then a second in the leg. The video then goes to a number of POWs, including the first two. All appear to have been abused (swollen lip, cuts, abrasions and, of course, GSWs to the leg). They have covers on their faces, which are lifted, then they are interviewed. I don’t speak Russian, but the translations provided by Twitter personalities say they are asked their names and hometowns and some other information. One part of the video shows a man shot in the upper thigh and clearly has a femoral artery bleed. He will die within fifteen to thirty minutes after the video shuts off.

Some observations: There is no time or date associated with the video; the location is unclear; the units of the soldiers is unclear.

Some analysis: There are several “war crimes” depicted, and not just the shooting of unarmed prisoners.
-First, it is against the Geneva Convention to parade/showcase/depict POWs in any form post capture except in closed correspondence between warring states to validate proof of life.
-Second, troops may be blindfolded at point of capture, but after they are taken to an internment facility (even temporary), they should not remain so. This is not contradictory to the Geneva Convention, but is against practices outlined in the law of land warfare for the fair and humane treatment of prisoners.
-Third, abuse of prisoners. One could claim, and the troops depicted in the film most certainly will say so at their trials, that the Russian troops sustained their bruises, cuts, etc… before the points of capture. I doubt that. The wounds are consistent with post-capture abuse. Those are mostly facial wounds and indeed we see (slightly out of frame) a Russian POW being kicked after being shot. So abuse is happening.
-Fourth, and biggest, shooting of POWs. Not only against the Geneva Convention, but also the Law of Land Warfare and all that protects the basic humanity during otherwise insane conflicts.

Some conclusions: This was expected and has already been happing to varying degrees across the battlefield. This is a product of the now protracted nature of the conflict. This is a direct result of the frustrations of the soldiers fighting an in-your-face conflict while defending their very homes against naked Russian aggression. I have sensed this kind of anger, and determination to ‘hurt the guys doing it’ in my own experiences in war, and can say it is real, it is human, and it happens; unless troops are well led, disciplined and morale remains… let’s just say remains above shit. This is all the job of professional officers and senior enlisted men, and in my experience with the Ukraine Territorial Guard, these items are lacking. I spoke with a man who had trucked 200-bodies of dead Ukrainian boys back to his home town. His AK and Glock were loaded and he said, “I will never again take Russian prisoner’s of war.” The implication was that he will shoot them, even if they surrendered. I believed him. He was off his rocker in pain and anguish and would have shot me or several of my compatriots on the spot if we said something that went contrary to his momentary world view. He is one man, he represents thousands of angry others who have seen the war in a manner a very large percentage of those on Twitter or FaceBook have no understanding or reference to comprehend. For those of you that believed Ukraine would remain above blame and not commit illegal acts are following too closely with the PR mechanisms of Ukraine.

Don’t get me wrong, I have zero love for a Russian led war of aggression that has been exceedingly lopsided in it’s effects against innocents and I have interviewed and witnessed ALL of it up close and personally. But I do believe the best way for Ukraine to cleanse it in the light of day. Nothing less than a full public inquiry and a military tribunal/trial. Anything less and the world will begin to turn its collective backs on President Zelensky and the plight of Ukraine will be less important to the world and they will suffer more. My message to President Zelensky and his senior military leadership: just do the right thing and the world will continue to be overwhelmed by your fighting prowess and guts in the face of a terrible invasion. We care, and you need to clean this up. Quickly.

Has Russia committed war crimes; MOST CERTAINLY. They are being catalogued by date, time, location and incident very VERY carefully by the Ukrainian government and by outside, and interested observers. They will persist and must be prosecuted at the termination of hostilities. Those war crimes make this incident pale in comparison. To put things further into context, demolishing city blocks with indiscriminate artillery and massive 2,000# bombs is a war crime. Indiscriminate use of force is a war crime. Use of white phosphorous against civilian targets is illegal and is a war crime. Demolishing non-legitimate targets, i.e. schools, hospitals, zoos, civilian houses, etc, etc… are all war crimes. If you target civilian use infrastructure you MUST demonstrate that you have/had full knowledge of its use for military purposes and document it clearly and carefully for later examination. If you do so unintentionally, ie. your bomb misses it’s intended target and hits a non-military target you address it immediately and completely and call for a full investigation. When you do it intentionally, as the Russians have, you have very plainly committed a war crime.

Why do we do these things? Why not just fight and kick each other’s asses and forgive the men in the midst of the fighting when they lose their tempers. It is certainly understandable. You don’t need a degree from the USMC War College to understand. But no, if you fight in this way you loose ALL respect from the international community and you suffer even further from the international disdain. Additionally, and possibly even more compelling for those men that perpetrated this crime. The response from your opposite is instantaneous and lasting. The Russian units in the area will now show no quarter. You’ve given them an excuse to up the ante in terms of abuse and cowardly acts of revenge. It will spread out from there, and soon, all Russian forces will be aware. They will also fight you harder because they know what will happen if they are captured. No humane treatment, no chance to call home, no chance of respite and very likely no survival. I felt this when fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. It makes the war very personal. I knew as a Field Grade Officer I would be beheaded after being forced to make a video turning on my nation, my troops, the mission and my families. I fought with a tenacity like no other. I would not be spared if I got my men into a jamb, and they would not either. I can still feel echoes of that feeling. Every operation was total and suicidal. If we failed, we all died.

These are my thoughts, and this is my analysis.

I’ll add one other point; could this be a Russian fake? Yes, it is distinctly possible. Russia is well aware of their own PR shortcomings and tricking, faking, creating opportunities to display Ukrainian troops in demoralizing or illegal acts is exactly something Russia would and already have attempted. But I don’t believe this is faked. The blood and wound are real.

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