500 days of war
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Today marks 500 days since Russia launched its massive assault on neighbouring Ukraine. A war started by Russia, which is in violation of international law. It is difficult to determine how many people have been killed and injured. The UN said that the number of civilians, previously estimated at 8,000, is too low. 30,000 civilians killed. It is equally likely that around 120,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed or seriously injured. The Russian losses are probably around 250,000 soldiers killed or seriously injured. The war has sent 8 million Ukrainians out of the country, and a further 5 million are internally displaced.
A dictator’s war
War is the result of a dictator’s desire for power. There is also a desire to rebuild the old Russian Empire. Read my previous blog about this. The battle for Ukraine’s vast natural resources is also part of the reason. Greedy oligarchs around Putin want to get their hands on the goodies.
It’s really wrong to say that the war started on 24 February 2022. The date of the start of the war is 20 February 2014 when Russia took control of Crimea. The illegal annexation of Crimea and subsequent Russian occupation of parts of Donbas was the start. For several years, the conflict was a small-scale war, until 24 February 2022 when Russia attacked Ukraine from the east, south and north through Belarus.
Withdraw all forces from Ukrainian territories
I urge Russia’s dictator Putin to come to his senses. Withdraw all Russian forces from all of Ukraine, including Donbas and Crimea.
Stop killing civilians. Let the thousands of Ukrainian children who have been taken away from their parents and forcibly adopted return to their homeland in peace. Stop raping Ukrainian women and children. Allowing a few hundred thousand more lives to be lost to the dreams of a megalomaniac dictator is not acceptable. Withdraw all forces from Ukrainian territories. 500 days of Russian terror is enough.