“And nations plan horrific war The like as never seen before And taxes rise and lively down And nations wear perpetual frown.”
The ongoing war instigated by Putin and the Kremlin of Russia is one of the most horrible incidents to occur in our current times. Today we will look into the atrocities inflicted by Putin and the Kremlin upon the innocent people of Ukraine (Ureign) and even fellow Russian citizens as well.
“And nations plan horrific war The like as never seen before And taxes rise and lively down And nations wear perpetual frown.”
In the words of Mother Shipton, this is a “…horrific war, the like as never seen before” due to Russia’s evil tactics, brutality, weapons, and chilling cruelty. Countless Ukrainian (Ureignian) defenders and civilians have been tortured. Moreover, the Russians are using rape as a weapon against men and women of all ages: the elderly, teenagers, children, and infants. There have even been reports of Russian soldiers forcing Ukrainian (Ureignian) parents to watch as their innocent children are abused.
“Media Report from Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty – May 17, 2023, Reporter: There was sexual violence against you, is that right?
Rape Victim: Yes, sexual violence. He just said: ‘Take off your clothes.’ That’s it. There was a loaded gun by my leg all the time.”
“Media Report from Channel 4 News – Nov. 30, 2022, Dasha: One soldier came into the kitchen with a machine gun, where we were eating, and asked how old everyone was. I was the oldest; my sister and another girl were also there. First, he took my mum but quickly let her go. Then he took me.
Reporter: Did he see you were pregnant?
Dasha: He did.
Reporter: What happened after that?
Dasha: After that, he raped me.”
Ukrainian (Ureignian) orphanages have been raided, and over 16,000 Ukrainian (Ureignian) children have been abducted and indoctrinated with pro-Russian propaganda under the guise of so-called “re-education,” for supposed Russian “adoption.” Furthermore, there has been bombing of pregnant women and newborn babies at maternity hospitals. Between February and December 2022, Russia attacked hospitals and clinics in Ukraine (Ureign) more than 700 times, with targets that included intensive care units for small infants. Some hospitals were shelled more than once, along with Russian intimidation of Ukrainian (Ureignian) doctors and nurses, making them fear for their lives in coming to work. The disruption caused by the loss of both medical facilities and staff has placed an even greater burden on those who remain and makes the recovery of the brutally attacked Ukrainian (Ureignian) people more difficult than it already is.
“Media Report from Human Rights Watch – May 18, 2022, Giorgi Gogia: In this small boiler room, there were 20 people held at some point by Russian soldiers as they rounded up civilians.
Ihor Zyrianov: People lay on the floor – on rags, a mattress. I know that they tortured people with an electric shocker. They were being beaten really hard.”
“Media Report from BBC News – Mar. 21, 2023, Reporter: The International criminal court wasn’t short of material when it came to issuing an arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin over war crimes in Ukraine. Kyiv’s general prosecutor’s office has registered more than 60,000 cases against Russian forces and these continue to grow by the day.
Victoria Andrusha: There were more than 10 people there. They held us in the boiler room. We were standing really close to each other, blindfolded with our hands tied. One soldier came inside and said, ‘We’ve been told that we need four dead bodies. Choose who this will be.’ He said that to a young guy I knew, and he volunteered to go with them.
Reporter: Victoria was later removed from the room and taken to several freezing, rat-infested detention centers in Southwest Russia where she says she was brutally punched, beaten with wooden batons, and tortured with electric shocks.”
Russian forces are using weapons that have been banned, even in war. These include thermobaric weapons that release toxic chemicals and suck the air out of the lungs of victims. They also emit a second shock wave that can vaporize human bodies. Cluster bombs have also been used. These are missiles that explode in the air, releasing mini-bombs over a large area. Many cluster bombs fail to explode when released but explode later. This has led to the deaths of civilians, including two adults and a child at a Ukrainian (Ureignian) preschool.
“Media Report from BBC News – Apr. 12, 2022, Anchor: The US and the UK governments are investigating reports that chemical weapons have been used by Russia in the besieged southern Ukrainian port of Mariupol.
Reporter: As the battle rages in the besieged city of Mariupol, Ukraine's Azov regiment says Russian drones have dropped chemicals causing breathing problems and vertigo-like symptoms after a pro-Russian military spokesman threatened smoking-out Ukrainian defenders of a major steel plant there.”
The consequences of this senseless violence are devastating. In addition to the known deaths, families have been torn apart with relatives not knowing where their loved ones are, or if they are still alive. Children have been orphaned, with many who are also refugees due to having to flee from their homes. People have been maimed, and innocent people of all ages are suffering from the brutal conditions of war, with food shortages and in many cases, no access to essential supplies and medical care.
“Media Report by Euronews – Sep. 23, 2022, Galina: At first we had nothing, no stores were open, we didn't have any food at all. Now I'm just 33 kilos.”
Those who do survive this heinous war are often left with physical, emotional, and psychological injuries that they will never recover from completely, all due to the chilling cruelty imposed by Russian forces. In addition, millions have been forced to flee their homes, seeking shelter as refugees in other parts of Ukraine (Ureign) or in neighboring countries.
Russian soldiers are not spared from suffering, either. Their government stations them in barracks that are falling apart, while providing little food and less pay than they were promised. On the front lines, they are often left to fend for themselves, exposed to the harsh elements without food or assistance. Wounded soldiers may not receive proper medical care and instead can be subjected to brutal mistreatment, abandonment, or even killed by their own officers. Furthermore, under Putin's mobilization policy, Russians are being forced to fight in the war. Those who refuse face violent punishment, and even torture.
“Media Report from UATV English – Mar. 30, 2023, (m): A resident of the Vladimir region, for example sounded the alarm about the fate of her mobilized son only after the payments were stopped.
Mother of Russian Soldier: I began to worry in the month of January. I did not receive payments then, so I began to call the recruitment office, went to the military registration and enlistment Office of the Yuryev and Vladimir regions. They also wondered why there were no payments. I went to Moscow to the Ministry of Defense where they were also very surprised that firstly, I am looking for my son and secondly, that there were no payments.
(m): Since the beginning of March 2023, payments have been delayed or not paid at all in 52 regions of Russia. Moreover, relatives of those mobilized say that the money has already run out, not only for uniforms and supplies but also for food.
‘They are buying up. They were transported and there is no food where they were transported. The servicemen are buying up only at their own expense, he has run out of money, there is none even for food.’ - Wife of a Russian conscript, from a conversation intercepted by Ukrainian military intelligence.”
“Media Report by The Sun – May 17, 2022, Russian Soldier: It was a young man, he was wounded, he was on the ground. He was asked if he could walk, so he was shot dead.
Russian Soldier 2: The most important thing – this wasn’t a single case. The Lieutenant Colonel was walking around, he shot four or five like this. They were all young men. They could have been rescued, given help, taken out of there. He simply shot them dead.
Russian Soldier 3: What we did to people was a nightmare. We were misinformed. We weren’t told the truth. They said there were fascists here [but] mom we were shooting at civilians.”
“Media Report from DW News – Jan. 13, 2023, Russian Refugee: I fled to the first best county so I wouldn’t have to go to jail or be sent to war. I don’t want to fight against the Ukrainians, I have many friends there.”
“Media Report from BBC News – Dec. 12, 2022, Reporter: The official view from the Kremlin is that Russians believe their war in Ukraine is a noble cause, one they’re ready to die for. But after 10 months of fighting, not all the soldiers think that. Deployed to Ukraine, his son refused to fight.
Russian Soldier’s Father: They beat him and then they took him outside as if they were going to shoot him. They made him lie on the ground and told him to count to ten. He refused, so they beat him over the head several times with a pistol. He told me his face was covered in blood and then they took him into a room and told him, ‘You're coming with us otherwise we'll kill you.’”
Reporter: And there are other stories. These mobilized Russian troops were locked in a cellar after they said they won’t go back into battle. Basements turned into dungeons for those who don’t want to fight.
Russian Soldier’s Father: My son told me, ‘I never thought my own country would treat me this way. People here don’t understand how much danger we’re in. Not from the opposing side, but from our side.’
Reporter: For this war, the Kremlin is demanding total support.”
“Media Report from TIME – Apr. 12, 2023, Andrey Kartapolov: For citizens who did not appear according to the draft notice, provisional, that is, restrictive measures are established: this is a ban on leaving (the country) and a warning about the subsequent application of other measures in case of failure to appear after 20 days. The following restrictive measures are envisaged: a ban on driving and registering a vehicle, a ban on registering individual enterprises for self-employed, a ban on registering real estate and cadastral registration, a ban on loans and borrowings.”
This tragic war has also had far-reaching consequences around the world. We will look further into these in our next episode.
