How Russia treats Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs)?

With half a year into Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, there's one thing that is crystal clear: Russia completely disregards, neglects or twists the international law, acting completely out of the existing international legal framework and ignoring its obligations. And Russia's leadership is doing that consciously. Basically they do whatever they want, because they are persuaded that they have the right to do so, because they can and because they believe that there will be no serious consequences. Russia just doesn't give a damn about international law, unless it serves their goals in doing whatever they want.

Treatment of Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs) is a bright example of that. POWs are generally understood as combatants who have fallen into the hands of the enemy during the armed conflict. The treatment of POWs is regulated by the Geneva Convention III, and Russia's been systematically violating its provisions. Literally, if you open this document and read article by article, you'll hardly find those that have not been violated, almost as if Russia's been using this Convention as an instruction to do as much harm as possible to Ukrainian POWs.

The POWs are often kept in premises not intended for the purpose, in inhumane conditions. In some cases the basic sanitary conditions are not met, like Olenivka which has no operating water supply system. The POWs are not allowed to get in contact with their relatives or close ones, not allowed to receive any parcels, including humanitarian assistance, they don't have access to medical care, which are all obligations under the Geneva Convention III. The POWs are subjected to phycological and physical violence, including monstrous examples of cutting off the genitals with the paper knife. The violent explosion in Olenivka itself looks very much like a direct Russian act to cover the signs of tortures of Ukrainian POWs, some of whom may have been already tortured to death by the time of explosion.

Russia does not provide the exact number, location or access to these places of detention, which is again an obligation under the Geneva Convention. And what is the most outrageous, Russia's been using the occupied territories, especially of Luhansk and Donetsk regions, as a zone of complete lawlessness. By running fake referendums and calling its own establishments "independent" Russia attempts to lift all responsibility from itself for atrocities of unimaginable scale that have been taking place there.

For weeks now pictures of cages put up for the possible execution of the Ukrainian POWs in occupied Mariupol have been circulating, on which the UN has been expressing concerns. While trying POWs for participation in the conflict in forbidden, either on territories occupied by Russia or on the territory of Russia. And yet again, while the cages are being established in occupied Mariupol, Russia itself brands the defenders of Mariupol, Azov battalion, a terrorist organisation – just to justify the illegal trials.

As an aggressor and occupying power, Russia is responsible for everything that happens to Ukrainian prisoners of war and in the occupied territories. And the number of crimes, as well as the number of victims, is increasing and will be increasing every day – if Russia is not forced to stop. For this, international pressure on Russia must increase.

However, what we are currently observing is quite the opposite trend in Europe – the cooling off with sanctions and increasing number of exemptions (i.e. russian oil, personal sanctions, russian banks, etc.) and the increasing reluctance to provide military aid from Europe.

Does it mean that economic interests seem more important than the future security of the region, international law and human values? Or is it because there're still illusions that if not stopped in Ukraine for good, Russia's aggression will not affect other European states? Ukraine was not the first, Russia's invaded Gerogia, Moldova, Chechnya, Syria before, and always got away with it. Because that's what imperialistic states do – they invade other countries until they are forced to stop. And if the force of law is no longer working, then it means that we're back to the law of force, and Russia will continue to do whatever it wants and invade countries whenever it wants.

Is that the future the Europe sees possible? And if murder, destruction, rape – this genocide, which Russia is committing in Ukraine, if terrorism, including nuclear terror at the Zaporizhia NPP – is not yet a red line, then where is it?

More on Russian war against Ukraine in English from Oleksandra Drik – youtube