Russia’s Human Rights Abuses in Kharkiv, Ukraine
The people of Kharkiv, Ukraine, have suffered from human rights abuses since the beginning of the invasion of Ukraine. These violative actions have not only put the Ukrainian military in the crossfire, but Ukrainian civilians as well. The Russian military is attempting to keep Ukrainian forces occupied in Kharkiv through bombardment and assaults on the city and its surroundings. Because of its strategic location directly on the border with Russia, it is necessary for Russian troops to continue holding their positions. This necessity becomes dangerous when both militaries are at a standstill, with neither advancing.
In an effort to end this standstill, Russian forces are increasingly becoming more aggressive, using tactics that violate human rights. For example, on August 18th, Russian forces bombarded multiple residential buildings, killing a dozen civilians and injuring many more. Since the start of the invasion, shelling and bombardment has occurred so frequently in and around Kharkiv that it has become a constant in the lives of the city’s residents. While not many casualties have been reported in most strikes, private homes, residential apartment buildings, and other civilian areas have been hit. These human rights abuses set a dangerous precedent, and if nobody acts on these abuses, future conflicts will also be marked by human rights violations. Governments will assume nothing will happen to them if they violate international law, so they will do so.
Sanctions & Supplementary Strategies
Sanctions are not the only answer to these violations; studies have found that they are only effective when dealing with modest goals, not war or military actions. Fully 50% of Russian respondents in an independent survey already believe that the United States and NATO initiated the war in Ukraine and sanctions only make perception worse. While intended to damage Putin and his allies at the Kremlin, sanctions during this invasion have primarily hurt the Russian people while helping Putin’s image with a majority of the Russian population. They do, however, damage the economy, as war-time sanctions have caused companies to cease operations in Russia. Sanctions should only be one cog in the machine to hurt Putin, not the main drive for damaging Putin’s leadership.
A supplement to sanctions would be negotiations, however this option only works when both sides are willing to negotiate, and thus far Putin has been unwilling to enter serious talks. Last year, Putin wrote a 5,000 word essay in which he outlined his imperialistic ideals and claims on Ukraine, often referring to Russians and Ukrainians as “one people”. The essay dives deep into his beliefs about Ukraine, making it obvious that he will not take negotiations seriously unless the Russian military suffers major losses and is unable to continue the fight.
Another supplement to the sanctions that have been imposed is dispersal of aid and supplies. The United States and NATO member states have been sending Ukraine weapons, money, supplies, and more. Foreign nations may not be directly involved in the conflict, but they are helping provide Ukraine with the resources it needs to stay in the fight.
An alternative to sanctions would be military intervention by western states, but this is impossible to do without risking the safety of the world, as both NATO and Russia possess thousands of nuclear weapons. If military intervention takes place, the likelihood of nuclear weapons being used rises, as does the likelihood of mutually assured destruction – if one nation launches nuclear weapons, the defending nation will likely do the same. Thus, while imperfect, sanctions, along with negotiations and dispersing military weapons to Ukraine, are the few slow solutions to helping stop the war.
While sanctions, negotiations, and aid dispersal are all effective when used together, there is still a lack of attention being given to human rights abuses in Ukraine. The State Department has imposed sanctions against 587 individuals “suppressing dissent”, such as authority figures in Belarus intimidating strikers. The Department has also designated a select few individuals as violators of human rights, but more individuals need this designation and sanctions placed against them for breaking international law.
Cluster Bombs
Cluster bombs are yet another dangerous problem for Ukrainian civilians, particularly those residing in Kharkiv. Cluster munitions are small explosives within one bomb or shell, which releases its payload of dozens of small bombs into its targetted area. These explosives are incredibly inaccurate, as they scatter numerous bombs to create multiple explosions over a large area. On Ukraine’s Independence Day, August 24th, cluster munitions were fired at a village in the Kharkiv region. By targeting a civilian area, the Russian military is guaranteeing that civilians will be hit; residential infrastructure was damaged and two civilians were injured. According to the International Red Cross, civilians have been the main victims of all wars. International law states that civilians must not suffer from violence and poor treatment during war; they must be treated humanely. By using cluster bombs in residential areas, the Russian military is purposefully killing and injuring civilians, therefore Russia is breaking international law.
Conclusion
At least five hospitals were damaged by Russian attacks in Kharkiv alone, according to Human Rights Watch. HRW’s investigation of abuses in Kharkiv proved that Russian forces have no regard for Ukrainian civilians, attacking the city with “indiscriminate weapons” and harming civilians. Since late February, more than 1,000 civilians have been killed and nearly 2,000 have been injured by Russian forces. These attacks are considered unlawful because there is no Ukrainian military presence in the vicinity.
HRW’s investigation and other investigations, whether they be from NGOs, governments or intergovernmental organizations, are only good at identifying the problem. By highlighting the human rights violations and not directly doing anything about the violations, actors on the international stage are setting an incredibly dangerous precedent. Ukrainian courts are one of the few legal bodies doing anything about this issue, conducting trials on Russian soldiers who were seen killing civilians.
