How Russia’s attack on Ukraine violates international law
PBS NewsHourMar 05, 2022
The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) on Tuesday released its latest casualty figures for the war in Ukraine. The agency said 6,884 civilians had been confirmed killed while 10,947 were confirmed injured — the majority of those coming from the Donbas regions of Luhansk and Donetsk.
However, the agency warned that the figures are likely far below the real numbers. The organization said it thinks the "actual figures are considerably higher," citing the delay in reporting caused by intense conflict along with the fact that "many reports are still pending corroboration."
This invasion is an egregious violation of international law. Putin's ultimate aim is to restore the Soviet empire, even if it takes massive bloodshed and false pretexts such as calling the 2014 Ukrainian revolution after an election a "coup". This unprovoked attack is the latest chapter in Putin's Orwellian attempt to rewrite history.
NATO and the US have ignored Russia's security concerns by breaking its promise not to expand eastward in return for German reunification. These concerns are legitimate and taking them seriously would have avoided the Ukraine tragedy.
There's a 28% chance that Ukraine will have de facto control of at least 90% of the Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts by January 1, 2024, according to the Metaculus prediction community.