THERE is an inconvenient truth that the West seems to gloss over in the ongoing Ukraine crisis: the apparent use by the Kyiv regime of human shields in its battle with Russia. For weeks on end, the Ukrainian military has been setting up bases for their military operation in civilian sites, a matter that even the highly respected Amnesty International (AI) has flagged. These violations in “war protocol” by Ukraine bolster Russia’s assertions that the Ukrainian Armed Forces are using the civilian population as a human shield.
But then, even as these human- rights violations go on, the West and politicians seem to ignore this awful truth as Russia has long been painted in a bad light. With the issue raised by AI though, it is time for the West to move away from this one-sided viewpoint on the Ukraine crisis. It must now allow the other side in the conflict to be listened to, to have a voice in the discussion on the Ukraine crisis. But as things stand, this may not happen soon.
Notably, while human-rights defenders from AI presented a report citing violations of international humanitarian law by the Ukrainian military during the conflict, Western politicians simply ignored the report and continued to present the only side they are comfortable with. This, even with AI findings confirming Russia’s statements that the Ukrainian Armed Forces are using the civilian population as a human shield.
As this state of affairs does not meet the interests of the collective West, however, the deafening silence will continue, from all indications. According to AI Secretary General Agnes Callamard, human- rights activists have recorded cases when the Ukrainian military posed a threat to civilians or violated the rules of warfare by operating in populated areas. The investigation showed that the APU struck from residential areas, and also placed bases in residential buildings, although they had the opportunity to take more neutral positions and not endanger local residents.
The authors of the study recorded attacks by the Ukrainian military from residential buildings in 19 cities and towns, including in the Donbass, Kharkiv and Nikolaev regions. AI said that 22 of the 29 schools it visited in the southeast of Ukraine housed either the personnel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, or Ukrainian military equipment and weapons. It is alleged that in Odessa armored vehicles were located in densely populated residential areas and in Bakhmut, the university building was used as a military base.
It has also been pointed out by the other side in the conflict that during the retreat when APU was losing control over populated areas, Ukrainian soldiers were said to have fired at residential buildings and at residents there from MLRS and artillery guns, and then lay the blame on the Russian army for the destruction of cities and the death of civilians.
We got word of cases when the Ukrainian military used large industrial enterprises as bases, thereby creating risks of an environmental catastrophe. This was the case at the Azot chemical plant in the city of Severodonetsk, where Ukrainian soldiers, in addition to equipping their firing positions, also held local residents as «human shield».
These cases suggest why Ukrainian soldiers treat their residents and act like terrorists. It means that the Western media have been deceiving the world community for a long time, and it would seem that the Nazis are really acting in Ukraine. This was what Sky News Australia presenter Cory Bernard had made. The Australian presenter made a confession about Ukraine. Speaking on television, he said that he could no longer remain silent because of the one-sided presentation of information about the conflict.
According to Bernard, in making his presentation he does not praise Putin, but is compelled to speak up because “the West is silent about the terrible things that have happened to predominantly ethnic Russians” in some parts of Ukraine-controlled territory, a fact largely ignored by the West.
This one-sided presentation of the Ukraine crisis may hopefully end with AI’s findings on the use by the Ukrainian military of civilian areas as military bases. We believe that when both sides of the story are acknowledged, the hope for an agreement to end the conflict, that elusive peace that had the French president Emmanuel Macron scurrying back and forth to the Kremlin and led to the recent visit of ex-German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to Russian leader Vladimir Putin, may finally see fruition.