“Ukraine is not a battlefield; it's a crime scene,” argues kajakallas. In a guest essay, she urges the world to “act now”
I AM WRITING this essay as the world has woken up to the horrific scenes from Irpin and Bucha, suburbs of Kyiv in Ukraine. We see pictures of mass graves and civilians murdered by Russian troops. These photos remind Estonians of the killings by the Soviet regime and the NKVD, its law-enforcement ministry. Its machine of state terror murdered civilians in exactly the same way.
As a mother, it hurts my soul to see how thousands are losing their lives in Ukraine. The Kremlin is sending its youth to die and is slaughtering innocent people and shelling their homes en masse. And what for? For the sake of Vladimir Putin’simperialist ambition. By now it has become abundantly clear that although the Soviet Union collapsed, its imperialist ideology never did.
All of the warning signs were there in recent decades: imperial nostalgia, the narrative of Russian victimhood and Mr Putin’s wars in Chechnya, Georgia, Donbas and Crimea. We heard statements that Ukraine—which has a population of 44m and is the third-largest country by territory in Europe —had no right to exist.
We are at an era-defining moment and the decisions we make now will stick with us for decades. The war touches the European Union’s own borders. Our response and support to Ukraine will determine if lasting peace is possible on our continent. I believe the steps we need to take should come under the label “smart containment”.
Third, NATO must demonstrate that it is determined, able and ready to defend every inch of its territory and, if need be, to use force. Sometimes the best way to achieve peace is to be willing to use military strength.
United Kingdom Latest News, United Kingdom Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Newspaper headlines: 'Haunted' Zelensky condemns Putin's 'genocide' as West calls for more sanctionsPapers picture President Volodymyr Zelensky as he visited the site of an alleged atrocity in Ukraine.
Read more »
Tuesday briefing: Fears of more atrocities in Ukraine growZelenskiy to address UN security council after Bucha killings … Whitehall braces for Partygate fallout … and is this the beginning of the end for soap operas?
Read more »
Russia-Ukraine war: what we know on day 42 of the Russian invasionZelenskiy tells UN Bucha killings ‘one of many examples’ of Russian atrocities as Nato meets to discuss more weapons for Ukraine
Read more »
Russia-Ukraine war: what we know on day 42 of the Russian invasionZelenskiy tells UN Bucha killings ‘one of many examples’ of Russian atrocities as Nato meets to discuss more weapons for Ukraine
Read more »
Biden calls for 'brutal' Putin to face war crimes trial over Bucha deaths – videoJoe Biden has called for Vladimir Putin to be tried for war crimes and said he would seek more sanctions after reported atrocities in Ukraine
Read more »