Accusing 69-year-old Russian President Vladimir Putin of war crimes in an a apparent massacre in the Bucha suburb of Kiev where some 200 bodies were found, 44-year-old Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky encourages the U.S. to follow up with war crimes charges against Putin. Biden has called Putin a “war criminal” on several occasions making ceasefire talks all but impossible. Zelenssky now says Russia covers up its war crimes much like it did with Russian separatists brought down Malaysian Flight 17 July 17, 2014, killing all 298 passengers and crew. Zelensky wants Putin charged with war crimes claiming he’s busy covering up Russian troop atrocities since the Feb. 24 Ukraine War began. “They used the same tactics when the occupiers shot down a Malaysian Boeing over Donbass,” Zelensky said Russia blamed the shoot down of Flight 17 on Ukraine.
Zelensky blames Putin for the Ukrainian corpses found in Bucha, numbering a little over 200. At the same time, Zelensky boasts about killing over 15,000 Russian soldiers a far bigger number of deaths, than international rights groups can entirely confirm. So when Zelensky talks about Russian atrocities, killing hundreds of civilians, what has Zelensky done with some 15,000 or more dead Russians? How ironic that Zelensky boasts about liquidating over 15,000 Russian soldiers while, at the same time, pointing the finger at Putin for war crimes. If Ukrainian and U.S. intel are correct, where are the 15,000 Russian soldiers liquidated by Ukrainians forces? “They blame Ukraine. They even came up with various conspiracy theories. They even went so far as to claim that the corpses were ‘thrown’ on board the plane before it crashed,” Zelensky said, referring to Russian treachery.
Where are all the Russian corpses estimated at over 15,000 Russian troops? Zelensky said Russia wants to pretend that there are no war crimes. Zelensky said Russia said Ukraine’s authorities have staged the atrocities to spread the idea that Russia is actively involved in ethnic cleansing. Ukrainian officials disseminate a Russian article on RIA Novosti Website by Timofey Sergeytsev saying that Nazi elements must be purged from Ukraine. Ukraine has highlighted Sergeytsev’s article to show that Russia is actively involved the ethnic cleansing, the same charge leveled at the late Serbian leader Slobodan Milosevic. Former President Bill Clinton accused Milosevic of ethnic cleansing of Muslim Albanians, prompting the 1998 Kosovo War. Zelensky now insists that Russia engages in genocide against Ukrainians. Zelensky has used every trick-in-the-book to get the U.S. and NATO to join the Ukraine War.
Biden has joined Zelensky in accusing Putin of war crimes, calling him a “butcher” and “war criminal,” making ceasefire talks almost impossible. Biden gives daily war briefings because the Ukraine War is run out of the White House, prompting Putin to understand that the U.S. government, as stated by Biden, wants Putin removed from power. While Biden says there’s no official change on regime change in Moscow, Biden said clearly that Putin cannot continue in power. Once Biden asserts that the Russia leader can no longer stay in power, the Ukraine War took on a whole new meaning. All the talk by Zelensky and Biden about war crimes, including ethnic cleansing, it makes a stronger case for the U.S. putting boots on the ground. Zelensky and Biden have no explanation for what happened to over 15,000 Russian troops liquidated by Ukrainian armed forces.
Ukraine’s 40-year-old Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba spoke with U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres about putting together Ukraine’s evidence of execution-like killings in Bucha and Mariupol, to eventually go to the Hague’s International Criminal Court [ICC] to prosecute Putin. But Guterres must ask Zelensky and Kuleba to account for more that 15,000 Russias Ukraine has killed since the war began Feb. 24. U.S. and Kiev authorities have been building the war crimes case against Putin from Day One, demonizing Putin as much as possible in the Western press. Biden found out that China and India, the world’s most populous states, do not condemn the Ukraine War. Both countries want the war to end but see no benefit like Biden and Zelensky in denouncing Putin daily. China disagrees with Biden’s approach to U.S. foreign policy.
U.S. and Ukraine officials can’t account for what happened to some 15,000 Russian troops, largely because the figure is 10 times the actually casualty number posted by the Kremlin. Whatever happens prosecuting the war, Ukrainians can’t have it both ways, excusing their own battle tactics while, at the same time, condemning everything Russia does to prosecute the war. If Biden and Zelenksy were really interested in stopping the collateral damage, they would meet regularly with Russia to find a way to end the war. Branding Putin a war criminal helps the White House and Kiev PR effort but does little to end the conflict. Biden did much harm to the Ukraine War effort admitting in Warsaw March 28 that he can’t imagine Putin staying in power. As long the Ukraine War is between the U.S. and Russia, it’s going to be difficult to end the conflict anytime soon.
About the Author
John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in nation and global news. He’s editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.
