I hate Putin and any Russian war sympathizer as much as the next guy, but…
My grandfather got a white phosphorus burn during WW2. He told me it was the most terrible pain he ever felt in his entire life, you can’t extinguish it, and he wouldn’t wish it on his worst enemy. I heard the same kind of stories from people who got napalm burns in Vietnam.
I’m pretty sure thermite munitions are in the same category of basically inhumane weapons regardless of the circumstances, right up there with NBCs, mines, napalm and white phosphorus, and I can’t say I fully side with the Ukrainians on this one. I mean I understand why they do it, but I also remember my grandfather’s leg and the horror of what he told me.
Russia is welcome to withdraw from its genocidal, imperialist, unilateral invasion at any time.
As an American, I gotta say, this is probably a sentiment we ourselves shouldn’t be getting behind. War crimes are committed in our name with our weapons every single day.
No, I definitely think we should be getting behind this sentiment. The US’ invasion of Vietnam was the same brand of bullshit that Russia is doing to Ukraine, and the Vietnamese had every right to do what it took to US troops to defend their homeland. The illegal invasion of Iraq caused the needless deaths of hundreds of thousands and was perpetrated knowing that its premise was objectively false. The US right now is militarily supporting genocide in Gaza.
What’s your thought process going to be when the war comes to the US?
I haven’t been able to get my hands on a copy of your fever dream geopolitical fanfiction to understand how the war comes to the US, so I don’t feel comfortable answering yet.
History is littered with fallen empires.
Assume Russia, China, and others decide to make war on the US and attack our country directly.
What is your thought process going to be on war crimes and chemical weapons?
Did a writer’s position come open at Bethesda and you’re canvassing people for material to use in the interview?
“it’s not a war crime if we’re defending ourselves”
Do you put “sitting in the comfort of the first world trying to be the moral arbiter of a people desperately defending themselves from a fascist war of extermination” as one of your hobbies on your dating profile?
Edit: This reply was so ridiculous that I actually completely forgot to mention that this isn’t a war crime under international law.
I mean, our money is funding this war instead of our own health care, so yeah, I think our people have every right to criticize if they want to.
And besides, it wasn’t that long ago that people were saying these same things about Iraq and Afghanistan, and we later learned our money was grossly misused and corruption rampant.
Stories have already circulated about corruption in the Zelensky government.
Wow, stories have circulated you say? /s
Unlike Iraq and Afghanistan, which were immoral American misadventures, this is a Russian misadventure, and supporting the Ukrainians is pushing back against aggression.
Honestly the Ukrainian brutality has been pretty constrained over time compared to the civil war. Russia started full 1865.
It’s not even a war crime. It’s only a war crime specifically if it’s used where civilians are.
It’s also a war crime if it’s a weapon inflicting excessively injurious or having indiscriminate effects. Like flamethrowers, landmines and blinding lased weapons.
All of these weapons are banned under Geneva Convention, and by using them in a war you would be committing a war crime
Are you being stupid because you’re just that stupid or Russia is paying you to be stupid?, at least the money is a good excuse
Why are you so pressed? What part of what I said is somehow in support of Russia?
Do you then not think that U.S. using Agent Orange wouldnt count as a war crime? or any flamethrower use in WW1? or White Phosphorus?
What would using a banned weapon during war be called if not a war crime?
Clearly these weapons are banned because they are overly cruel, meaning it gets the job too well done.
Last time I checked if someone used banned substances that counts as a crime. And if someone were to break the same rules for war, it would qualify as a crime during wartime (war crime for short).
But no you just think that every hint of criticism against anyone good means that you’re against that fully? Have you heard of the word ‘nuance’ before?
“They started it!” is not a valid reason to commit a war crime.
- That’s a ridiculous strawman.
- Good thing this isn’t a war crime.
Not alone, it isn’t, but there’s much more to take into account. Russia’s invasion was illegal to begin with, and they have committed numerous war crimes along the way. Most importantly (to me), Ukraine isn’t using this to attack, but as defense on their own soil.
These factors, along with others, make it a morally complex issue. Honestly, I don’t know where I stand.
That’s what Putin said about Ukraine.
Breaking news: fascist oligarch produces paper-thin lies to justify a war of aggression. Local Lemmy user learns what a firehose of falsehoods is. This and more news coming up at 11.
After seeing countless attacks on Ukrainian civilians, I really don’t care what happens to the invading forces anymore. Remove them from Ukrainian territory however you want, I really don’t care.
It does sound borderline war crime, but then again the US buried thousands of Iraqi soldiers alive in the first gulf war, but our lawyers also did the mental gymnastics to justify it not being one beforehand so presumably they have some justification so its just barely legal. https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-09-12-mn-2959-story.html
That being said, its not like Russia is being super careful about its rules of engagement.
Don’t want to get war crimed, don’t do war crimes first.
The sad thing is that Putin doesn’t care about war crimes. He will sacrifice as many soldiers or civilians as necessary to get his way.
The sad thing is that, years after this war is over, we’ll probably learn our money and weapons were misused, just as we did with Iraq and Afghanistan.
People will remind you of that, and it won’t matter. You’ll still support whatever war we’re involved in, and all because the news network you watch insists that you should.
Unfortunately, that’s true of virtually everyone throughout the world. We’re all immersed in propaganda of one kind or another.
That’s true, but this same process has repeated itself often enough over the last 40 years that we can point to a few consistent historical patterns, I think.
The self fellatiating “superior” pacifists in here bragging that they would never think of doing something so horrible as to defend themselves violently from a group actively trying to murder you or your fellow citizens and kidnap your children are a special sort of disconnexted from reality.
Abusers will continue to push what they can get away with and you are the types that would tell women to stay with their husbands that beat them and children to accept being raped because to fight back might make a mess of your peaceful idea of reality.
Also this isn’t boring you nonce.
Could anyone tell me why the fuck this isn’t a war crime?
Thats the fun part, it is.
No it isnt. Incendiary weapons are legal if not used on civilians and couple of other rules.
Whew, for a second there I thought someone was burning people alive in an illegal fashion.
This is gruesome for sure. That said, most ways of killing people in war aren’t good ways to go. Killing is going to cause suffering.
Ideally we wouldn’t kill. And then if we do it hopefully it’s quick and doesn’t prolong suffering. And then if we’re pushed to the point that it’s us or them hopefully it’s them.
People that are trying to murder and kidnap civilians from another country? Why do you like abusers so much? Want to be like one some day?
Soldiers are just people forced into this shit, the people that could deserve this are the higher ranks, but they are too busy being safe and cozy
What if the Russians didn’t start a war?
What if Ukraine didn’t start the fire?
Impossible. Are you meaning to suggest that it was always burning since the world’s been turning?
Heck yeah chemical warfare. When is Agent Orange making a comeback
This is not chemical warfare…
The only one committing chemical warfare in Ukraine right now is Russia. You probably wouldn’t know about that though.
I’m glad fire is easy to control and produces no byproducts that accelerate the climate apocalypse.
“Can you be a bit more environmentally conscious while you fend off the extermination of your culture, country, family, friends, and people? Thaaaaanks.”
Are you really giving them crap for not thinking of mother nature as they defend their homes from invaders?
