Fighting Russia down to the last Ukrainian soldier
Ukrainians make incredible sacrifices, while the West won’t even impose secondary sanctions or pressure “the South”
Adapted from The Trenchant Observer, September 9, 2022
Since the beginning of the Russian war against Ukraine on February 24, 2022, the U.S. and EU and NATO member countries have come to the assistance of Ukraine with economic and military aid, but also with the firm resolution not to get involved in any direct military confrontation with Russian forces.
In the early stages of the war, the U.S. and NATO countries avoided providing “heavy weapons” and weapons that could be used to attack targets within Russia proper, out of fear of provoking Vladimir Putin by crossing one of his arbitrary “red lines”.
Under international law, Ukraine has every right to attack targets in Russia from which “armed attacks” on its territory are emanating, such as military bases from which missiles are being launched at its cities.
The U.S. and NATO countries, however, will not furnish weapons with such “offensive” capabilities, such as fighter aircraft. In using categories like “defensive” and “offensive” weapons, they ignore the fact that all weapons used in self-defense against military aggression are “defensive” weapons.1
Or, if U.S. and NATO countries do furnish weapons that could be used to attack targets in Russia, they do so with both explicit restrictions and physical limitations on their use.
For example, in providing the highly effective HIMARS artillery which has a range of 300 kilometers or 180 miles, the U.S. has insisted on commitments from Ukraine that they won’t be used to attack targets in Russia proper. In addition, reflecting the “belt and suspenders” approach of White House lawyers, it has guaranteed limitations on their use by only furnishing ammunition with a range of 80 kilometers or 50 miles.
In short, the U.S. makes Ukraine promise not to use the HIMARS against targets in Russia proper, and then makes sure that they won’t by limiting the range of the ammunition it supplies.
Over time, President Joe Biden has become less fearful of provoking Putin with military moves, and has approved of attacks on Russian-held positions within the internationally-recognized borders of Ukraine, including the Crimea.
Nonetheless, the position of the U.S. and its NATO allies has become and remains one of willingness to fight the invading Russian troops down to the last Ukrainian soldier.
This approach fails to recognize that Putin’s and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and commission of barbaric war crimes, crimes against humanity, and acts of genocide (as defined in the 1948 U.N. Convention on Genocide) constitute a frontal assault on the U.N. Charter and international law, and our entire civilization which rests on these two pillars.
Hudson’s report,2 based on interviews with wounded Ukrainian solders who have been fighting in the South, brings home the extreme sacrifices Ukrainian soldiers are making as a result in part of the allied policy of supporting Ukraine militarily “down to the last Ukrainian soldier”.
There is something deeply immoral about this approach.