What the Russians left behind in Pucha and why the crimes will not help Putin win the war

The killing of civilians in Pucha by Putin’s forces casts further doubt on the nature of Russia’s military modernization, exposing the “failure of leadership at all levels.” And Will cause a setback in Vladimir Putin’s plansThis Monday magazine promised Economist In a comprehensive diary of the massacre.

“After weeks of fighting, Russian troops have been attacked by Ukrainian forces in the area around Q. As they retreated from farms and growing suburbs such as Pucha and Irbin, they were left with the remains of tanks and armored vehicles and the loot they could not carry. But the Russians have left evidence of brief executions and random killings and horrific war crimes. “Wrote the influential British version.

According to Economist, The assassination that Ukraine’s attorney general claims to have at least left 410 civilians were killed, Evidence of the backwardness of the Kremlin troopsContrary to the Russian story about the modernization of the military.

“In the 1990s, the country’s armed forces were in a post-Soviet state of disarray, surrounded by a lack of resources, surrounded by corruption and intimidation. Those who were hired were still deprived of their dignity and abused. It is thought to have changed many years after the 2008 Russo-Georgia war, when the army was reduced in size and had more professional soldiers, “the British publication wrote. “On April 3, no improvement was seen in Pucha, in the northwestern suburbs of Q.”

Economist As well as Was able to verify the reports Brief execution and He denied the Russian version of blaming Ukraine for what happened.

“Nine bodies were found lying on the side of the builders’ yard and another on the road between Pucha and Irbin. All had puncture wounds to the head, chest or both. The arms of at least two bodies were tied behind their backs. From the smell of decomposing bodies, they remained there for a while, proving Russia’s claims that Ukraine, which released Puja on April 1, carried out the killings. “, Read in the newspaper.

The assassination also exposed a lack of leadership in the Kremlin’s armed forces. According to Economist.

The magazine quotes General Iya Richard BaronsHe was in charge of the British Joint Forces until 2016 Evidence of civilian abuse by Russian forces “reveals the failure of leadership at all levels, the decline of morale, the failure to train in the most basic rules of war, and, above all, the failure of collective self-discipline in the face.”.

As a result, he said, there would be a military and diplomatic backlash against the Kremlin: This would double the Ukrainian opposition, increase Western military support for sanctions and military aid, and significantly reduce the space for dialogue.

Economist Underlined HeHe disturbed the similarities between the Pucha massacre and the Russian wars in Chechnya In the 1990s and early 2000s, He is already president of the country with Putin.

The case is particularly reminiscent of what happened in Pucha Novi AldiThe Chechen capital is a suburb of Grozny. There Russian troops went door-to-door and killed civiliansAccording to eyewitness accounts collected by a human rights watchdog. “Brutal wipes like this were known zachistka Or ‘cleaning’ activities “Remember the magazine.

Honestly, Chechens may be involved in the massacre, and in all cases, planned in advance, According to Economist: “The Conflict Investigation TeamA research team says it may have come from Russian factions involved in Pucha Russian Eastern Military DistrictOr one of the other systems involved in that axis: the Air Force விடிவிThe rosgvardia (Russian Army National Guard) or loyal troops Ramzan Kadyrov “The Chechen leader has been charged with murder and all kinds of human rights abuses.

Magazine Always quotes Jack WatlingFrom a military expert Royal United Services CompanyA British think tank in Ukraine in the pre-war weeks.

“It is wrong to say that Pucha is the result of brutality or dishonest behavior.”Watling said. “It simply came to our notice then. It was planned in advance. This is consistent with the Russian methods in Chechnya. If the Russian army had been more successful, there would have been many more villages like this.

To be added to thisSince Vladimir Putin came to power in 1999, The aggression of the Kremlin fostered worship, which was its goal “Legitimize meaningless military campaigns “, Explained Elena RachellaSocial Anthropologist at Oxford University.

Promoted by state television, the soldiers see their father or grandfather as their role model who fought in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945. It explains videos like the one released by the Russian Ministry of Defense on April 1st. Alexei ShapulinCommander of a battalion conducted by a zachistka Direction “Hostomel-Gucha … Bucha-Lozero”.

“My grandfather went through the whole of World War II and chased the fascist demon Pandera through the Ukrainian forests until 1953,” he said. “I am now the glorious heir of this tradition. Now my time has come, I will not insult my grandfather, I will go to the end.

Continue reading: