UN Puts Russia On List Of Shame Over Children Killed In Ukraine
RadioFreeEurope/RadioLibertyJun 22, 2023
The United Nations has put the Russian military on its annual children's rights blacklist of countries for killing children and attacking hospitals and schools in Ukraine.
According to the report, 477 children were killed in Ukraine last year, with 136 attributed to Russian forces and affiliated groups and 80 to Ukrainian forces. Another 909 were maimed in the conflict, 518 by Russia and proxy groups, and 175 by Ukraine.
By including Russian forces on the shame list, the UN is holding the Kremlin's forces accountable for disturbing violations against children. Russia has indiscriminately attacked hospitals, schools, apartment buildings, and other civilian structures, killing hundreds of Ukrainian children.
This report has hypocrisies. Ukraine has also committed violations against children and was not included on this list, and neither is Israel. Instead of being a nonpartisan report on children in conflict zones, this list is politically motivated — giving American allies like Ukraine and Israel a free pass.
There is a 17% chance that a post-Putin Russia will substantially democratize within 5 years, according to the Metaculus prediction community.