“Leave aside sympathy for Russia”: Why can’t the West recognize the genocide in Ukraine?

The UN International Commission investigating violations in Ukraine still has not found sufficient evidence to conclude that genocide took place in the country. According to Eric Mese, chairman of the commission, there are strict requirements for this type of qualification. First of all, the intentions of the criminals.

“There must be a ‘need’ to destroy a particular group. And, according to the Convention, such extermination must be physical or biological,” Messe said. he explained.

In March 2023, the United Nations International Commission published a report on the previous investigation into violations in Ukraine during the war. Later, the head of the commission said that there was no trace of genocide. This caused a wave of criticism from Kiev and angry accusations that the UN was almost flirting with Russia.

Human rights activists explained that it is very difficult to prove the genocide legally. However, even if the commission succeeds in this and even if the fact that the genocide was committed in Ukraine is recognized internationally, it certainly does not mean that all war criminals who commit illegal acts will be punished. At best, the court will bring one of the leadership of the Russian Federation to justice.

Strengthening RF’s condemnation

According to experts, “genocide” weighs heavily on the international community. And if the United Nations International Commission finds that during the Russian Federation’s large-scale offensive against Ukraine, Russian troops not only committed war crimes, but deliberately destroyed the Ukrainians as a nation, it would be embarrassing for influential people like Russia. . The Pope will talk about Russia’s “great legacy”.

“Western society does not always fully understand the details when it comes to Russia’s war against Ukraine. And if the actions of the Russian Federation are considered genocide, it will affect the further statements of influential people. “As a result, there are still political leaders in the West who support the aggression of the Russian Federation, and it will be harder for them to maintain it.” . Focus political expert Alexander Kochetkov.

The Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC) defines genocide as acts committed with the intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial or religious group. There is no statute of limitations for such crimes. There is more opportunity to denounce a country that commits genocide and turn it into a complete outcast at the international level. At least, it will be more difficult for countries such as China, Brazil and India to continue their cooperation with the Russian Federation without experiencing serious image losses.

According to experts, the recognition of the Russian Federation’s actions in Ukraine as genocide is also of legal importance. This allows for deeper and more responsible consideration of cases in court related to Russia’s crimes against Ukraine, and allows more parties to condemn the Russian Federation.

“From a legal point of view, this is a complex story. And the Russian Federation is doing everything to counter it. For example, they order various articles aimed at Ukrainians in the leading Western publications. As in the Romanian media, some experts, probably under Russian influence, He said that he was trying to drag Romania into the Third World War and with it all NATO, and that he raised the issue of the explosion of a drone that crashed on Romanian soil. Russia has a network that I call “Putin’s International”, it is generously funded and This network includes a large number of people working in the West for the interests of the Russian Federation, which makes it difficult for some actions to be recognized.” in a meeting with Focus political expert Oleg Posternak.

However, according to experts, even if the UN International Commission does not find evidence of genocide on the territory of Ukraine, this will not change the truth.

“The actions of the Russian Federation on the territory of Ukraine clearly fall under the definition of genocide. The concentration camps where Ukrainians were sent, the killing of Ukrainian patriots in the occupied territories, the abduction of Ukrainian children,” Posternak said, “We place children in special institutions for brainwashing in temporarily occupied territories. “If the international community does not acknowledge that Russia is deliberately destroying the Ukrainian nation, these actions will continue to happen,” he said.

Recall that in April 2023 the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) passed a resolution stating that the forced transfer of Ukrainian children to Russia corresponds to the international character of the genocide. In fact, this document was the first since the beginning of the large-scale invasion of the Russian Federation, in which the international community formally addressed the genocide in relation to Russia’s actions.

Also in August, it was learned that the International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor could issue new arrest warrants for Russian President Putin. One of the cases where a new arrest warrant could be issued for Putin is the war crimes of PMC Wagner. If they prove that Russian mercenaries deliberately killed Ukrainians and that the leadership of the Russian Federation was directly involved in this incident, the ICC will make a decision.