by Robert M. Traxler
The Bucha Massacre in Ukraine in the northwest part of Ukraine and west of the Dnieper River was committed by the regular “professional” Russian Army soldiers, who are the best trained and equipped in the army. It is very hard to believe the crimes were committed by the rank and file of the Russian soldiers without the approval, direct or passive, of the leadership at the General Officer level.
Reports of 410 dead civilians, some with their hands tied, are concerning. Even the reports in western media of counting 21 dead in the streets are indicative of a classic war crime; the fact that no effort was made to cover the crime by removing the bodies translates to a unit out of control, and a deep hatred for the Ukrainian people.
A true saying in all military forces is that the troops tend to mirror the personality of the commander. Given the scope and number of war crimes committed, it is hard for me to believe it was one soldier or one company sized unit that committed the crimes.
During my years in the United States Army Criminal Investigation Command (USACIDC), possible war crimes fell under our jurisdiction. We studied the history of war crimes involving civilians and the factors involved; poor leadership and a lack of discipline, coupled with a hatred for the enemy population, were almost always present. The dehumanizing of the victims must be present in a level past that of a single psychopath or sociopath; it must be systemic in a unit ethos.
The Russian soldiers attacking south from Belarus were west of the Dnieper River, and were told that the Ukrainian people in that region were active supporters of the Nazi Fascists who were preparing to invade Mother Russia using nuclear weapons. East of the Dnieper were good Ukrainians, west of the Dnieper were all the enemy.
We need to look to President Putin’s approval rating of nearly 86% as of April 2nd to understand the Russian media rationalizing the actions at Bucha as “staged” and “made up.” The Russians to this day deny the massacre in the Katyn Forest in WWII, where over 22,000 Polish citizens were murdered, even with undeniable proof.
War is a brutal business, and the truth is always the first causality of any conflict. The 410 dead figure used by the Ukrainians may not be factual; however, multiple sources for the 21-plus dead from western media at this point is undeniable.
The brutally sad part of this crime is that it just may be the tip of the iceberg if the elite Russian forces, those who are the best trained, equipped and disciplined, are the culprits of this atrocity. God help the people of Ukraine when the second-tier forces join the battle. My opinion.
Do you know if it is true that the Russian army has no NCO’s. With a number of general staff officers killed it raises concerns about the chain of command. In the U.S. military if a ranking person goes down there is a chain of command that replaces that ranking person. I wonder if the Russian armuy is structered in a similar fashion or if a ranking person goes down the rest are left to free lance.
The Russian Army has four grades of Sergeant and a chain of command that follows our, however we train our NCOs to a greater level and our NCOs are better trained and educated to step in for the Officers as needed. Better trained in leadership and the rules of war our Non-commissioned officers are the best in the world, and would not tolerate war crimes. The post Vietnam NCO Educational System is a key to our success. Hope this answers the question.
War crimes are not just despicable, they are clear terrorist tactics against the victim nation. War is a terrorist endeavor, regardless of where it occurs or who the aggressor is..
Well stated Ms. Mandaville, with Bucha and now Kramatorsk it makes one ask why most of the world support the Russia Federation invading a sovereign nation. Kramatorsk is in the Russian speaking region friendly to the Russians?
Thank you for clarifying the NCO situation in the Russian army. I had the understanding that there was essentially no chain of command from enlisted to officer if that is the correct terms. When the officer corps was depleted the enlisted were left to free lance with no controls or over sight. Thank again