Putin warns ‘traitors,’ and Blinken believes Russia is guilty of war crimes

*Paromita Das

President Vladimir Putin has issued a warning to “traitors,” and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has stated that Moscow is guilty of war crimes because recent attacks in Ukrainian cities targeted civilians.

On Wednesday, President Vladimir Putin issued a warning to “traitors” as Russia faces intense pressure on the battlefield.

Not only that, but Putin stated that Russians would be able to tell the difference between “patriots and scum.”

Graffiti warnings have appeared on the doors of activists in Moscow.

According to the leader, the West may try to use them as a fifth column to destroy Russia.

Within hours of the speech, Dmitry Ivanov, a Moscow-based activist, claimed that his mother saw a graffiti message saying “Don’t betray the motherland Dima” on the door to their apartment landing.

Putin told government ministers on Wednesday that Russians would spit out traitors “like gnats.” He also stated that society would benefit as a result of it.

“I am confident that this natural and necessary self-cleansing of society will only strengthen our country, our solidarity, cohesion, and readiness to face any challenge,” Putin said.

Dmitry Peskov, a spokesman for the Kremlin, said on Thursday that many people were revealing themselves to be traitors.

“They are disappearing from our lives. Some people are leaving their jobs, others are leaving their active work lives, and still others are leaving the country and moving to other countries. That is how the cleansing takes place “Peskov stated.

‘Targeting the civilians is a war crime,’ says Antony Blinken. He believes Russia is guilty of war crimes.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Thursday, March 17, that Russia is not doing enough to end the conflict in peace talks with Ukraine.

Blinken also stated that he believes Moscow is guilty of war crimes, citing recent attacks on Ukrainian cities that targeted civilians.

“Yesterday, President Biden said that, in his opinion, war crimes have been committed in Ukraine,” Blinken told reporters at the State Department.

“Personally, I concur. It is a war crime to intentionally target civilians. After all of the devastation in recent weeks, I find it difficult to believe that the Russians are acting otherwise “he stated.

Blinken also stated that US President Joe Biden was planning to issue a warning to China not to send arms to Russia in support of its invasion of Ukraine.

According to the United Nations, the concept of war crimes emerged, particularly at the end of the nineteenth and beginning of the twentieth centuries. The international humanitarian law, also known as the law of armed conflict, was codified at the time.

The Hague Conventions, which were adopted in 1899 and 1907, focus on prohibiting warring parties from using specific means and methods of warfare.

Blinken referred to the recent bombing of a theater in Mariupol, Ukraine, where many people, including children, had sought refuge to avoid shelling. He also claimed that Russians opened fire on ten civilians waiting in line to buy bread in Chernihiv.

“The number of civilians killed and injured, including children, continues to rise with each passing day. Russia continues to target civilian targets, including a hospital, three schools, and a boarding school for visually impaired children in Ukraine’s Luhansk region this week “He stated.

He stated that US experts were currently documenting and evaluating reports of attacks on civilians in order to determine whether formal war crimes cases could be filed.

“We must go through the process of gathering evidence, collecting evidence, and comprehending evidence. We’ll share that, and I’m sure our allies and partners will do the same, with all of the ongoing investigations in order to support accountability with every tool at our disposal “he stated.