“The announcement was dramatic and the images breathtaking,” Frida Ghitis observed. “The Kremlin declared that it had come under attack on Wednesday night, targeted by two drones whose objective it claimed was to assassinate Russian President Vladimir Putin, who was unharmed…”
Whatever happened, the Ukraine war is heading toward “a major escalation,” Ghitis added. “The ground is still muddy as the winter snow melts; the temperature is rising. Ukraine has announced repeatedly that it’s planning a large-scale counteroffensive, a push to retake Ukrainian territory captured by the Russian occupiers.”
“Russia is nervous about this new imminent stage of the war. And, frankly, Ukraine’s allies are, as well.”
The war has taken a fearsome toll on children, according to a report Thursday from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. A “large number” of children – estimated by Ukrainian officials to be from 200,000 to 300,000 – have been “displaced” to Russia or to territory the Russians have occupied in Ukraine.
Writing for CNN Opinion, Kristina Hook and Oleksandra Gaidai noted that “callous crimes against children have resulted in the International Criminal Court issuing arrest warrants for Russia’s so-called ‘Children’s Rights’ Commissioner Maria Lvova-Belova and President Vladimir Putin – only the third-serving president in history to be issued one.”
“While the forced deportations have stunned global observers, from a historical perspective Russia’s policy against Ukrainian civilians is terribly logical and consistent.”
“Moscow has regularly used mass trafficking of citizens, including minors, over two centuries: to punish resisters, weaken community ties that could threaten the state and solve their own demographic problems.”
For more:
Chris Good: The Trump factor hangs over Ukraine
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