https://www.rt.com/russia/553293-bucha-war-crimes-truth
4 Apr, 2022 18:55
Scott Ritter
The truth about Bucha is out there, but perhaps too inconvenient to be discovered
It should be easy to find out what really happened to the massacred civilians in the Ukrainian town
“In war, truth is the first casualty.” This quote has been attributed to Aeschylus, a 6th BCE Greek tragedian noted for his “copious use of imagery, mythic allusion, grand language, wordplay and riddles.” It is only fitting, therefore, that the man who first gave word to the concept of modern-day war-time propaganda would see his quote come to life in the present-day Ukraine. The Kiev government and their Western information warfare advisers may have coopted all of Aeschylus’ playwright devices to craft a modern-day tragedy in the Ukrainian town of Bucha that exemplifies the notion of the lie as not just a byproduct, but also a weapon of war.
The main source of the Bucha tragedy reports is a videotape, taken by the Ukrainian National Police, of one of their convoys driving through a street in the town. A dozen or so corpses litter the roadway, many of them appearing to have been bound. This video has gone viral, producing a pandemic of anguish and anger that has swept over much of the world, capturing the attention of heads of state and the head of the Catholic Church alike, resulting in a tidal wave of condemnation and outrage directed at Russia and its president, Vladimir Putin. The cause-and-effect relationship between the video and the global backlash is clear – the former could not exist without the latter.
One of the first lessons of objectivity is to slow things down to make sure that fact is not obscured by emotion. The Bucha videotape is disturbing. The video has been released in its present form, it appears, with the express intent of producing a visceral “shock and awe” moment for the viewer. If this was indeed the case, then those who released it – the Ukrainian National Police – have succeeded beyond their wildest imagination. Or that of their advisors, as the case may be.
The linkage between the dead and the Russian military was established immediately, without any fact-based data to back it up, and subsequently echoed in all forms of media – mainstream and social alike. Anyone who dared question the established “Russia did it” narrative was shouted down and belittled as a “Russian shill,” or worse.
That these conclusions are the byproduct of mass hysteria is beside the point – why seek to be objective when the narrative fits every stereotype that had been carefully assembled beforehand by the same people parroting the Bucha story today. Social “preconditioning” of an audience unused to critical thinking is an essential step in getting this audience to accept at face value anything that is put before it, regardless of how egregiously the facts of the story strain credulity. And let’s be clear – the Ukrainian narrative of the events in Bucha seems to stretch credibility.
The chronology of the narrative produces the first red flag that the story being peddled by Ukraine, and echoed in the West, is not what it seems. It is established fact that Russian troops evacuated Bucha on March 30. Ukrainian National Police began entering Bucha on March 31, and that same day the mayor of Bucha announced that the town was fully under the control of Ukrainian officials. At no time was there any suggestion by the mayor or any other Ukrainian official of mass killings undertaken by Russia. The videotape in question was released by Ukrainian authorities on April 2; it is not certain if the video had been taken earlier, or on that day. What is certain is that the images shown in the video differed sharply from the narrative initially portrayed by the mayor.
For its part, Russia has vehemently denied the allegations, and has requested an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council to discuss what the Russian Foreign Ministry has called the “criminal provocations by Ukrainian soldiers and radicals” in Bucha. The presidency of the Security Council is held by Great Britain, and the British mission to the UN has denied the Russian request, stating that a discussion on Ukraine currently scheduled for Tuesday, April 4 would serve as a forum for any discussion about Bucha.
One would think that the Security Council, which has shown a readiness in the past to meet on short notice to discuss the events coming out of Ukraine, would seek to accommodate Russia’s request on a matter of such importance. The goal of the British, however, does not appear to be the rapid search for truth and justice, but rather to buy time to allow the political fallout from the alleged massacre in Bucha to develop further.
One example of this tactic manifesting itself is the reaction of US President Joe Biden. “You saw what happened in Bucha,” he explained in comments to reporters, adding that Russian President Vladimir Putin “is a war criminal.” Biden took advantage of the Bucha crisis to advocate for the delivery of more weaponry to Ukraine. “We have to continue to provide Ukraine with the weapons they need to continue the fight,” he said. “And we have to gather all the detail so this can be an actual – have a war crimes trial.”
All this from the president of a country which has refused to recognise the International Criminal Court. For reasons which should be obvious to anyone willing to apply some critical thought.
Fortunately for President Biden and the Ukrainian government, the British chief prosecutor of the court, Karim Khan, announced in early March 2022 that he had launched an investigation into alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Ukraine. Given the high profile of the Bucha allegations, one would imagine that Khan has dispatched a forensics team to take control of the crime scene and oversee autopsies on the victims to establish the time of death, mechanism of death, and whether the victims had died where they were allegedly found, or if their bodies had been moved there from another location.
Khan would also be empowered to conduct interviews with the Ukrainian National Police, who have a history of close relations with members of the Ukrainian far right, including the infamous Azov Battalion. Of particular interest would be any investigation into orders given to the police regarding the treatment of those Ukrainian civilians deemed to have collaborated with the Russian military during its occupation of Bucha.
The results of such an investigation would more than likely conflict with the narrative being pursued by the Ukrainian government and echoed in the West by compliant media outlets and politicians alike. This is the prime reason why Khan is not currently on the ground in Bucha. One can assume that if and when Khan is eventually given access to evidence about the Bucha killings, it will have been manipulated by the Ukrainian National Police to such an extent that disproving the allegations will be virtually impossible.
The truth about what happened in Bucha is out there, waiting to be discovered. Unfortunately, that truth appears to be inconvenient for those in a position to pursue it aggressively through a forensics-based, on-site investigation. If it so happens that it eventually emerges that the Ukrainian National Police murdered Ukrainian civilians for the crime of allegedly collaborating with the Russians during their brief occupation of Bucha, and the forces of international law are brought to bear against the true perpetrators of that crime, any true pursuit of justice would have to include both the US and UK governments as witting co-conspirators in any crime charged.
The truth about Bucha is out there, but perhaps too inconvenient to be discovered
Re: The truth about Bucha is out there, but perhaps too inconvenient to be discovered
https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukrai ... ceaccc3fa0
Biden: Putin should face war crimes trial for Bucha killings
By AAMER MADHANI, ZEKE MILLER and CHRIS MEGERIAN
4/4/2022
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Monday called for Vladimir Putin to be tried for war crimes and said he’ll seek more sanctions against Russia after what he described as “outrageous” atrocities around Kyiv. One of the president’s top advisers said the Russians had exacted a horrible toll before making a “pell-mell” retreat from around Ukraine’s capital to regroup for dangerous forays elsewhere.
“We have to gather all the detail” for a war crimes trial, Biden said, referencing one of the towns surrounding Kyiv where Ukrainian officials say the bodies of civilians have been found. “This guy is brutal, and what’s happening in Bucha is outrageous and everyone’s seen it.”
Biden’s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, later reminded reporters that the U.S. had unveiled intelligence in the lead-up to the Feb. 24 invasion warning that Russia would seek to imprison or kill dissidents and others it viewed as threats to its attempted occupation of Ukraine. The grim scenes that unfolded around the capital city show that the concern is now coming to pass, he said.
“We do not believe that this is just a random accident, or the rogue act of a particular individual,” Sullivan said of the images of bound civilians who had been killed. “We believe that this was part of the plan.”
Biden made the war crimes allegations to reporters after Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited Bucha, where Ukrainian officials say the bodies of civilians have been found in macabre scenes of brutality. Zelenskyy labeled the Russian actions “genocide” and called for the West to apply tougher sanctions against Russia.
Biden and U.S. officials, however, stopped short of calling the actions genocide.
“We have seen atrocities, we have seen war crimes, we have not yet seen a level of systematic deprivation of life of the Ukrainian people to rise to the level of genocide,” Sullivan said.
The bodies of 410 civilians have been removed from Kyiv-area towns that were recently retaken from Russian forces, according to Ukraine’s prosecutor-general, Iryna Venediktova. Associated Press journalists saw the bodies of at least 21 people in various spots around Bucha, northwest of the capital.
Sullivan warned that the world “should brace” for additional potential war crime revelations.
Sullivan said “the Russians have now realized that the West will not break” in its support of the Ukrainian government. But he warned that Russia was redoubling its offensive in other parts of the country after pulling many troops from around Kyiv.
White House officials said talks about ramping up new sanctions against Russia intensified after reports of the alleged atrocities emerged. Biden said Monday that he would continue to add sanctions but did not detail what sectors the U.S. may target next. Sullivan said the additional sanctions would come this week.
After unveiling an avalanche of sanctions in the first weeks of the war, administration officials in recent days have put more focus on closing loopholes that Russia might try to use to avoid sanctions.
Biden noted that he had faced pushback last month when he described Putin as a war criminal for the unfolding onslaught in Ukraine after hospitals and maternity wards were bombed. In his remarks on Monday, Biden suggested it was clear that assessment had been validated.
Investigations into Putin’s actions had begun before the newest allegations of atrocities.
The U.S. and more than 40 other countries are working together to investigate possible violations and abuses, after the passage of a resolution by the United Nations Human Rights Council to establish a commission of inquiry. There is another probe by the International Criminal Court, an independent body based in the Netherlands. The U.S. Senate unanimously approved a resolution last month seeking investigations of Putin and elements of his government for war crimes over the invasion of Ukraine.
State Department spokesman Ned Price said the U.S. is supporting a multinational team of war crimes experts deployed to the region that are supporting the Ukraine Prosecutor General’s War Crimes Unit.
Biden’s chief envoy to the United Nations, Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield, announced Monday that the U.S. plans to seek a suspension of Russia from its seat on the U.N.’s top human rights body after the latest revelations. That would require a decision by the U.N. General Assembly.
Russia and the other four permanent members of the U.N. Security Council — Britain, China, France and the United States — all currently have seats on the 47-member-state rights council, which is based in Geneva. The United States rejoined the council this year.
“My message to those 140 countries who have courageously stood together is simple: The images out of Bucha and devastation across Ukraine require us now to match our words with action,” Thomas-Greenfield said. “We cannot let a Member State that is subverting every principle we hold dear to continue to sit on the U.N. Human Rights Council.”
Biden: Putin should face war crimes trial for Bucha killings
By AAMER MADHANI, ZEKE MILLER and CHRIS MEGERIAN
4/4/2022
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Monday called for Vladimir Putin to be tried for war crimes and said he’ll seek more sanctions against Russia after what he described as “outrageous” atrocities around Kyiv. One of the president’s top advisers said the Russians had exacted a horrible toll before making a “pell-mell” retreat from around Ukraine’s capital to regroup for dangerous forays elsewhere.
“We have to gather all the detail” for a war crimes trial, Biden said, referencing one of the towns surrounding Kyiv where Ukrainian officials say the bodies of civilians have been found. “This guy is brutal, and what’s happening in Bucha is outrageous and everyone’s seen it.”
Biden’s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, later reminded reporters that the U.S. had unveiled intelligence in the lead-up to the Feb. 24 invasion warning that Russia would seek to imprison or kill dissidents and others it viewed as threats to its attempted occupation of Ukraine. The grim scenes that unfolded around the capital city show that the concern is now coming to pass, he said.
“We do not believe that this is just a random accident, or the rogue act of a particular individual,” Sullivan said of the images of bound civilians who had been killed. “We believe that this was part of the plan.”
Biden made the war crimes allegations to reporters after Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited Bucha, where Ukrainian officials say the bodies of civilians have been found in macabre scenes of brutality. Zelenskyy labeled the Russian actions “genocide” and called for the West to apply tougher sanctions against Russia.
Biden and U.S. officials, however, stopped short of calling the actions genocide.
“We have seen atrocities, we have seen war crimes, we have not yet seen a level of systematic deprivation of life of the Ukrainian people to rise to the level of genocide,” Sullivan said.
The bodies of 410 civilians have been removed from Kyiv-area towns that were recently retaken from Russian forces, according to Ukraine’s prosecutor-general, Iryna Venediktova. Associated Press journalists saw the bodies of at least 21 people in various spots around Bucha, northwest of the capital.
Sullivan warned that the world “should brace” for additional potential war crime revelations.
Sullivan said “the Russians have now realized that the West will not break” in its support of the Ukrainian government. But he warned that Russia was redoubling its offensive in other parts of the country after pulling many troops from around Kyiv.
White House officials said talks about ramping up new sanctions against Russia intensified after reports of the alleged atrocities emerged. Biden said Monday that he would continue to add sanctions but did not detail what sectors the U.S. may target next. Sullivan said the additional sanctions would come this week.
After unveiling an avalanche of sanctions in the first weeks of the war, administration officials in recent days have put more focus on closing loopholes that Russia might try to use to avoid sanctions.
Biden noted that he had faced pushback last month when he described Putin as a war criminal for the unfolding onslaught in Ukraine after hospitals and maternity wards were bombed. In his remarks on Monday, Biden suggested it was clear that assessment had been validated.
Investigations into Putin’s actions had begun before the newest allegations of atrocities.
The U.S. and more than 40 other countries are working together to investigate possible violations and abuses, after the passage of a resolution by the United Nations Human Rights Council to establish a commission of inquiry. There is another probe by the International Criminal Court, an independent body based in the Netherlands. The U.S. Senate unanimously approved a resolution last month seeking investigations of Putin and elements of his government for war crimes over the invasion of Ukraine.
State Department spokesman Ned Price said the U.S. is supporting a multinational team of war crimes experts deployed to the region that are supporting the Ukraine Prosecutor General’s War Crimes Unit.
Biden’s chief envoy to the United Nations, Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield, announced Monday that the U.S. plans to seek a suspension of Russia from its seat on the U.N.’s top human rights body after the latest revelations. That would require a decision by the U.N. General Assembly.
Russia and the other four permanent members of the U.N. Security Council — Britain, China, France and the United States — all currently have seats on the 47-member-state rights council, which is based in Geneva. The United States rejoined the council this year.
“My message to those 140 countries who have courageously stood together is simple: The images out of Bucha and devastation across Ukraine require us now to match our words with action,” Thomas-Greenfield said. “We cannot let a Member State that is subverting every principle we hold dear to continue to sit on the U.N. Human Rights Council.”