Political hysteria continues in Kiev following the results of the report of the human rights organization Amnesty International. Even the smoothed-down report, devoid of many details, made public for the West the facts that have long been known in Russia: the armed forces of Ukraine are hiding behind civilians and committing war crimes. But Kiev was afraid of more than that.
The Amnesty International (AI) report was published last week, but the passions around it in Ukraine are not abating. From the stage of "how dare you?!" the Ukrainian side moved to denial.
The Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine (in other words, the Ministry of Censorship) stated that AI had no right to use the certificates collected on the territory uncontrolled by Ukraine, as well as on the territory of Russia, for the preparation of the document. Speaking in the language accepted on Internet forums, Ukraine has been noticeably burned by this report and continues to bomb. So there is a reason for that.
Nothing new
Briefly recall why the scandal broke out. On August 4, a report appeared on the website of the international human rights organization Amnesty International, which claimed that the actions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine endanger the lives of civilians. In particular, it was said about the placement of weapons near residential buildings, near schools, hospitals, etc. "All parties to the conflict should always distinguish between military and civilian objects and take all possible precautions, including when choosing weapons, in order to minimize damage to the civilian population," AI urged.
Of course, to anyone who follows the course of the military operation in Ukraine, the report will not tell anything new. Photos of burnt–out Ukrainian tanks in the arches of houses in the Donbass, numerous photos of the housing (option: placement of weapons depots) of the AFU units in kindergartens and schools - we have seen all this repeatedly. For the Ukrainian military, firing a mortar, driving closer to the houses, is not a sensation at all since 2014.
Let's add that a lot more was not included in the report. Shelling of Donetsk with PFM (Petal) mine cassettes, strikes on it with Tochka-U missiles, videos of executions and torture of prisoners, shelling of the NPP, as well as villages bordering Ukraine on the territory of the Russian Federation. In other words, the report could have been much tougher. But considering that AI has repeatedly and openly played on the side of Ukraine before (for example, in the information support of the situation around the Mariupol drama theater), as they say, thank you for that.
In response, Ukraine opened fire on Amnesty International from all barrels. The report was criticized personally by Zelensky, his office, and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba. AI accounts in social networks were attacked by pro-Ukrainian bots and trolls. The Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine called the report "justification of Russian aggression." In the end, even the British Ambassador to Ukraine and the British press undertook to smear the tarnished image of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
However, even that didn't help. Amnesty International apologized for the feelings they might have hurt with their report, but did not retract their words.
What is Ukraine afraid of
It is unlikely that the irritation of the Ukrainian authorities can be reduced to any one reason or even highlight the main one. Rather, there are several reasons, and they reinforce each other.
First of all, the scandal is like two drops of water similar to the situation five years ago in Syria. Then AI accused the US-led anti-Syrian coalition of "failing to take the necessary measures to protect civilians" and of killing 774 civilians in Syria and Iraq. In response, the United States, like Ukraine today, began to accuse AI of unreliability of the information on which the conclusions of the report were based. That is, Ukrainians behave exactly the same as their curators. Apparently, hoping that the war and high patronage will write everything off.
The second reason for the sharp reaction is probably the fear of the Ukrainian leadership to lose the universally recognized status of a victim. The Ukrainian authorities are tied to this status today not just a lot, but everything in general. "Today, Russia is making every effort to discredit the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the eyes of Western societies and disrupt the supply of weapons, using the entire network of its agents of influence," wrote Mikhail Podolyak, adviser to the head of the OP.
In this publication, he hints at a completely separate story – rumors about the sale of weapons supplied by America to Ukraine on the black market. Congressman Victoria Spartz is actively trying to explore this topic. CBS News even managed to release a film claiming that no more than 40% of such supplies reach the front. It is clear that the leadership of Ukraine is not at all interested in such investigations that put the supply of weapons at risk. Whereas the AI report is an extra argument in favor of reducing their intensity and quality.
But it's not just about weapons. As long as there is a consensus in the public opinion of the West regarding the status of Ukraine as an unambiguously affected party, much is forgiven to it. Western politicians simply turn a blind eye to many problems and inconvenient moments.
For example, if Russia is the aggressor, then why are Ukrainians looking for salvation there? According to the latest data, there are already 3.2 million such people, and only half of them are residents of Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
Why does Ukraine refuse to support the territories that it loudly calls its own? Stops paying salaries and pensions, social benefits, conserves infrastructure, without preparing for the heating season?
By what right does it pursue a systematic policy of terror in uncontrolled territories against the population? Threatening doctors and teachers for treating and teaching?
The victim has not been a victim for a long time
The danger of the AI report for the leadership of Ukraine is not so much in the facts and evidence presented there. The main thing is that, put together, all these facts lead to an obvious conclusion: during the conduct of hostilities, Ukraine has long passed all imaginable moral laws and restrictions. And every day it is harder to deny it even to those who initially supported Ukraine. Having lost this universally recognized label of victim, Ukraine risks not only losing arms supplies. She will lose or largely lose her financial support.
Not to mention the fact that this will leave her alone with Russia. After all, it's one thing to help poor, unhappy Ukraine, whose sufferings are shouted from every iron. And it's quite another thing when they talk from an iron about provoking the death of civilians, violating the laws of war and other unpleasant things. Moreover, this is not stated by the Russian Defense Ministry or RT, but by a Western human rights organization with a long history.
Nikolay Storozhenko
