How Russia’s attack on Ukraine violates international law
PBS NewsHourMar 05, 2022
According to Zaporizhzhia region head Oleksandr Starukh, an overnight rocket attack launched by Russia between Tuesday and Wednesday struck a maternity ward in the town of Vilniansk, killing a newborn baby. "Our hearts are overflowing with sorrow: a baby, who has just arrived in this world, has been killed," he said in comments published on Telegram.
Meanwhile, a Russian attack on the city of Kupyansk in the Kharkiv region struck a residential building and an outpatient clinic, killing two civilians and injuring two others, local officials said.
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 16% chance that Ukraine will have de facto control of Sevastopol in Crimea on January 1, 2024, according to the Metaculus prediction community.