333 shades of evil

Each day of this ongoing war adds a shade of evil on the part of the Russian state and nation that decided to ruin the existing world order and rules of civilisation, writes Roman Rukomeda.

Roman Rukomeda is a Ukrainian political analyst. This is his 76th account of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

A massive Russian military attack on Ukraine started 333 days ago, with Europe’s biggest war and aggression of the 21 century launched by the Kremlin. Russian war criminals openly started the genocide of the Ukrainian nation, killing and torturing thousands of people. The responsibility for this huge despicable crime and many smaller personal crimes lies entirely on Russian political and military leadership, armed forces and the Russian nation.

Each day of this ongoing war, many civilian Ukrainians are killed, and many more are becoming victims of Russian war crimes. Each day of silence in Europe, North America or elsewhere makes it harder for everyone to restore order and justice in Europe and the world in the future. Ignorance and indecisiveness to Ukraine’s request for urgent military help costs the loss of more innocent human lives, perspectives of the future and sense of humanity in each of us.

Everyday evil performed by Russian soldiers and officers is unpredictable and vast. It can have the face of destroying the whole of a multistorey apartment building like in Dnipro city on 14th January by the “aircraft-killer” missile with more than 40 people dead and 80 wounded, including many children. Or it can be the destruction of civilian infrastructure, especially electricity generation in wintertime, freezing millions of people and making them suffer. Or it can provoke waves of migration to the European Union of millions of Ukrainians, trying to destabilise many European countries and societies.

Russia is waging war not only against Ukraine but also against Europe, the US and all liberal democracies. It is a war of values. Russia is defending the right of “strong”, the right to use violence every day without any consequences, and the right to kill people to torture them if they are not loyal to Kremlin leaders.

If Russia and its allies win or at least will not be punished for their war crimes in Ukraine, the democratic community will lose, and the values of human rights and freedoms will be substituted by the “right of strength”, violence, the end of freedom and free will for millions of people.

One of the examples that proves that Russia is also trying to destroy Ukrainian culture and its history is the robbery of museums on the captured Ukrainian territories. Russian aggressors stole thousands of works of art and historical exhibits from Ukraine, including antiquities.

The invaders illegally seized tens of thousands of exhibits from museums in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine – from ancient Scythian gold to modern avant-garde works. Obviously, it is the most significant art theft since World War II.

At the same time, according to experts, the purpose of this theft is not only to capture material and historical values but also to deprive Ukraine of its cultural heritage. According to Ukraine’s prosecutor’s office and information from Ukrainian museums, the Russians stole more than 15,000 art objects and objects of historical significance in Kherson alone. According to available data, the occupiers looted or destroyed more than 30 museums, particularly in Mariupol, Melitopol and Kherson.

As the Russian-performed evil continues, people in Ukraine continue to adapt to the horrors of the war and survive in the existing situations. One of the such unfortunate condition is the constant Russian air attacks.

People are trying to get used to living in constant terrorist conditions, but it is tough, and it also changes people’s psychology and emotional feelings. Society is transforming, and these changes are rather significant. But Ukrainian society is also maturing, which gives hope for a better future.