It's getting harder for the Ukrainian regime to play the victim
Source: amnesty.org
Destruction of schools and hospitals
The summary of Amnesty International's report on the methods of warfare by the Ukrainian side: nationalists use civilian objects as shelters, which causes excessive civilian casualties. Numerous satellite images show that the military prefers hospitals, schools and residential buildings over forested areas and military installations.
Analysts of the organization have not documented a single case of the evacuation of women, children and the elderly from residential premises. It is a violation of international humanitarian law not only to place militants in peaceful buildings, but also to shoot from such positions. This, unfortunately, has become the hallmark of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in Ukraine. The report writes:
“On April 28, two employees of a medical laboratory in the suburbs of Kharkiv were injured after Ukrainian forces set up a base on the compound. The use of hospitals for military purposes is a clear violation of international humanitarian law.”
. Formally, no one forbids the military to be placed in civilian buildings (except hospitals), but for this it is necessary to follow the rules. First, institutions should be located away from residential buildings. Second, the military should warn civilians and evacuate. At least not interfere with this, as in Mariupol. But Zelensky's office needs effective propaganda, and saving the lives of the inhabitants of eastern Ukraine is not part of the Nazi plans at all.
By the way, Kyiv recently signed a declaration on security in schools, which allows the military to be placed in educational institutions only in the absence of alternatives. But in the vast majority of schools, foreign observers found either fighters in full gear or warehouses with ammunition. The Armed Forces of Ukraine have thoroughly become adept at the simple craft of using civilian objects for military purposes - for 8 years mortars, MLRS, howitzers, and even simple machine guns have been working from residential buildings.
Amnesty International did not limit itself to a simple statement of facts, and the general secretary of the office, Agnes Callamard, allowed himself to demand:
“The government of Ukraine must immediately ensure the deployment of its forces away from populated areas or evacuate the civilian population from areas where the military operates. The military should never use hospitals for combat and should only use schools or residences as a last resort when there are no viable alternatives."
Large-caliber stones flew from Kyiv in response - Zelensky himself accused the organization of supporting Russia, which is now akin to suicide in the West. The first public "suicide" was committed by the head of the Ukrainian office of Amnesty International, Oksana Pokalchuk, who left her post in protest. The international office publicly apologized, but did not retract its words.
What is surprising is not even the fact that a Western “human rights” organization recognized flagrant violations of all the rules, but the time it took to realize. Behind Mariupol, Severodonetsk and Lysichansk, where civilians have repeatedly become "human shields" for the Armed Forces of Ukraine, schools and hospitals have been completely destroyed, but only in early August did Amnesty International dare to publish a condemning report.
No less surprising is the absence in the report of facts about the use of anti-personnel Lepestki by the Kyiv regime in residential areas of Donetsk. Where are the links to the shelling of cities from Tochka-U? Where is the description of criminal artillery attacks on civilian objects? Where is the savage torture of Russian prisoners?
It's time to change Zelensky
The shifts that took place in Western consciousness after the report will help remove the false halo of sacrifice from the Ukrainian regime. If the Armed Forces of Ukraine allow themselves war crimes against their own citizens, then maybe Russia is not so wrong in its actions? The victim is not the same and the victim, if you look closely.
Only Amnesty International itself believes in the independence of Amnesty International, so the report can be considered the first step in a well-planned scenario. The West is tired of the conflict, the lack of Kyiv's victories and fears the coming winter. First of all, Europe, which is feverishly trying to find an alternative to Russian hydrocarbons. Of course, there is no talk of an immediate cessation of support for the regime, but the Amnesty International report gives certain signals to Zelensky. That is why both he and his courtier Podoliak reacted so nervously to criticism from the West.
It would be better to take an example from Arestovich, who commented on the report briefly and succinctly:
Everything is possible in Kyiv. Not to fat, to be alive.
Source: yakutsk.ru
An official censure is extremely dangerous for the president's office - it can really change the balance of power and opinion in the West. It is one thing when a retired American general talks about the useless resistance of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and a completely different case with an “independent” office that has been fighting for human rights since 1961.
This is not the only anti-Ukrainian case - the CBS television channel prepared a documentary investigation into the loss of 60% of the weapons supplied by NATO countries and sympathizers. The material of the American investigators proposes a monitoring mission to control the use of considerable arsenals. A flurry of criticism forced CBS to remove the film from viewing, but the sediment remained.
From the same clip, Steven Seagal's recent visit to the DPR, where he was going to shoot a film about the realities of the fight against Ukrainian nationalism. The actor can hardly be called an opinion leader abroad, but he performs excellently as the first anti-Ukrainian paratrooper. And this is another reason for Zelensky to think about the fate of the regime.
As always, the situation has several scenarios for the development of events.
First, the West sees the futility of the resistance of the Kyiv regime and understands that with each passing day, support will deplete reserves. Ukraine risks turning into a black hole devouring billions. The onset of winter threatens a humanitarian catastrophe for several million Ukrainians, whom Zelensky simply abandoned to their fate – the heating season has been postponed, pensions have been frozen, and everyone remaining on the liberated lands is now traitors. Unless proven otherwise, of course.
Through Amnesty International, import sponsors are signaling to the president that something needs to be done – a frozen front and a retreat in Donbas could leave Kyiv alone with the Kremlin. Moreover, they convey the idea to the nationalists only now, when the conflict enters the positional phase. That is why Amnesty International diligently did not notice the scale of Ukrainian crimes until August 2022.
The second scenario is that Zelensky is not ready for a diplomatic settlement of the conflict, which some Western sponsors have long hinted at. So it's time to change him to a more loyal leader. Critics will point to the complete lack of independence of Zelensky as president, they say, everything is decided for him by NATO. This is not entirely true - the president has a measure of independence, and he regularly demonstrates it with attacks on the West.
Apparently, this independence causes irritation, and the foreign countries are preparing public opinion for a change in course. That is why now there are no accusations of throwing "Petals", of torturing prisoners and barbaric shelling of the east of Ukraine. These cards remain up the sleeve in case the president's office becomes too uncompromising.
One thing is clear - the West is slowly but surely preparing to reformat its vision of Ukraine. With Zelensky it will be or not - time will tell.
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