I would quibble a bit with this although I recognize that for all practical purposes I’m making a distinction without a difference. I don’t think that Putin’s plan is now or ever was to totally eradicate the Ukrainian people. If he had enough power to eradicate Ukraine, then he would have had to power to subjugate them which I believe would be his preference. He realizes now that he doesn’t have that power, and so his new strategy is to cause as much pain death and destruction to the Ukrainian people as possible (hence the distinction without a difference), with two main goals in mind. First he hopes that this will force the Ukrainians to agree to a favorable peace treaty despite their winning military posistion simply to get the war over sooner and prevent further loss of life. Second (fitting in with the OP) to make other areas to see the destruction that comes from a war with Russia even if they win and so decide they may be better off keeping their head down.
I think you’re just clarifying WHY Putin thinks Genocide is of benefit to him at this point in time.
The distinction that I am making is that in the case of Genocide, the complete elimination of the targeted group is the goal. With Putin, if he killed off say 40% of Ukraine population so they crumbled and agreed to become a vassal state of Russia, then I think he would be satisfied, feeling that his goals had been met. If his motives were genocidal then he wouldn’t be satisfied until every last Ukrainian had been killed.
However since he doesn’t have the forces to either kill all Ukrainians (short of nuclear Armageddon) or even force them into vassalage he will never be faced with that distinction, and his tactics of kill as many Ukrainians as possible are indistinguishable from one motivated by genocide. The distinction of possible motivations is irrelevant on a practical level.
Nope. In the Genocide Convention “genocide” is defined to embrace “acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group”. It’s enough that Vlad wants to kill lots of Ukrainians, because they are Ukrainian.
Ok, ignorance successfully fought.
If any country will go for it, probably it would be Turkey.
I don’t think that they will but Erdogan was willing to bite off a chunk of Syria, already. He’s a dice roller.
I think he realizes that he would get into trouble (Super Sanction Village) for trying to keep it but he might be able to negotiate some sharing agreement for it, in advance, with Zelensky. If he can, that would probably be the signal for him to hop over the Black Sea.
But then, if he happens to grab a chunk of Russia, just Southeast of Ukraine, I don’t think anyone would mind if Turkey kept it. If nothing else, it would create a buffer zone between the two countries. Heck, Turkey wouldn’t do bad to try and claim land all the way through to Belarus, if it has the muscle for it.
Well one big reason it won’t is Putin would goddamned love a reason to pull out of the Ukraine and put down a much more squashable insurrection in caucuses or wherever. Even after the Ukraine war is over, and if Russia comes of second best, the Russian military would be itching for a chance to prove they aren’t as crap as everyone is saying.
That said its not obvious where that would be. Chechnya has been well and truly subdued (to the point that pro-Putin Chechen militia are fighting for Russia in the Ukraine).
Hell, I wouldn’t put it past Putin (given the circumstances that led to his last war in Chechnya) to manufacture a winnable war in some remote region to show he still has it.
On top of the formal definition of genocide, which you’ve acknowledged, I would add that those surviving 60% will be expected, and forcibly compelled if needed, to give up their essential Ukraine-ness and subjugate themselves culturally to their Russian masters.
Genocide is only partly about taking lives from a people. It’s also about wiping away their very identity.
I tried searching and viewing RIA.
Tried all sorts of search terms. Copied and pasted titles from Wiki.
I kept ending up at this site.
https://russia-insider.com/en/ria_novosti_-_russian_news_agency
Which to me looks like a nut bar site. It looks like sites from other countries run by way out there folks. What ever they may be shouting about.
Maybe I am just not managing to get to the site you are proffering?
Any ways. This type of site and the people that are on it, are not the caliber of folks I try to seek out on both sides of an issue.
If indeed this is the site you are referring to. And it is indeed run by the Russian government. Then it is still not one I would look to for information. Maybe it is the governments attempt to appeal to folks who would believe stuff several levels below the Russian equivalent of Fox news worst slanted stuff.
Also. I cut and paste this from just under their masthead.
“Crowdfunded media criticism”
Government sponsored media?
Hello.
If possible, can you post a link to the original article that Mr. Sumlenny sites on his Twitter, to the english language site of RIA/ria novosti english.
Thank you.
At this point, I’m not entirely certain if the current Russian military would win in a rematch with Georgia.
RIA does not publish in English. They are a Russian information agency, publishing for Russians.
But even if they did, given this…
What would be the point? If you’re not going to listen to the Russian government itself, explaining its actions to its own people and laying out its course for the future, then why would I or anyone else bother trying to talk to you?
For everyone else, here is the original Russian-language article on the RIA website.
Google translate is your friend. The Russian government is not.
That link did get me to the site that looks like a real news source.