Can We Handle The Truth?

The New York Times has confirmed a video that showed Ukranian soldiers murdering Russian soldiers. Why is this significant when Russia continues to move to take control of Ukrainian cities? Here is why.

These videos were posted two weeks ago and the Twitter mob immediately rejected them as Putin propaganda. Ukraine denied them but quietly said that it would investigate.

Look, Russia went into Ukraine, beyond the separatists’ regions where it was not welcomed and we condemn that. But Ukraine has been pumped full of guns and there are dangerous Ukrainian militia groups that maybe should not be on the receiving end of weaponry. Careful media consumers can deplore Russian aggression and also deplore Ukrainian extremist violence. We can do both and not be Putin apologists. The writers of this newsletter only root for humans, not nations. And in this verified video, humans were brutally murdered.

The victims in this video were wearing white armbands. Earlier this week, when Ukraine accused Russia of war crimes in the city of Bucha, Ukraine said that the victims wore white armbands because Russians had asked civilians to wear them to identify themselves as non-militia. So who wears the white armbands? And who killed who? The Associated Press seems convinced it was Russia but most media outlets are working much slower to call it.

Ukraine has called for a war tribunal over this city and Russia has said it will participate in order to prove that this was not their aggression.

Meanwhile, human rights groups are waving their arms to point to verifiable war crimes in Ethiopia where ethnic cleansing has been raging since 2020. As long as we are calling for tribunals, let’s do one there too! Yes! And Syria too. And Yemen. Let’s protect all humans!