Gasping for air from a trench in eastern Ukraine, an infantryman was ready for the worst when a suffocating white smoke spread into his position.
A Russian drone had just dropped a gas grenade into the trench, an internationally banned practice in warfare used to suffocate Ukrainian soldiers hiding inside. Forced out in the open, the Ukrainians immediately became vulnerable targets for Russian drones and artillery.
. . .
Russia has increasingly deployed chemical agents in its grand offensive to occupy the last cities in the Donbas region under Ukrainian control. The suffocation tactic is to take out entrenched personnel and dampen the morale of Ukrainian soldiers who – severely outmanned and outgunned – have been withdrawing village by village in the east for nearly a year.
By following the rules of war and international law of course
Yes, but nothing in the rules of war or international law say you can’t attack the enemy nation’s territory. The people loaning Ukraine weapons are the ones saying that. The same ones that held up many supplies at a critical time during the Spring 2024 offensive.
No, that is on the contrary very much an allowed thing to do?
It is not allowed by the US. It is not disallowed by international war crime agreements, but that doesn’t make it allowed if something else is preventing it.
Yes, and yeah? But it’s still allowed by international law. I don’t get what the prior was comment supposed to add. :S
The US (and some others, but the US is the largest obviously) is telling Ukraine they can’t use foreign weapons to attack into Russian territory. They are not allowed to use the weapons in the way they see as most useful. Especially with Russia using chemical weapons, they should be given the go-ahead to do what they see fitting with them.
Yes indeed!
Man, someone needs to get a hold of Putin and inform him there’s international laws he’s breaking.
Sorry? Why did you feel the need to be rude? Someone breaking the law isn’t a justification for you to do it.
Ukraine should very much adhere to the law and rules of war even though Russia has no such intentions. In the very least because weapon supplies is kinda tied to the fact that they are not doing what Russia does.
My intent isn’t malicious. I just want to stress the point that this isn’t a game - a game with referees. There are real lives being lost by playing nice. The west needs to up their support while allowing Ukraine to use the same tactics, short of rape and torture, as Russia.
But it kinda is a game with referees. We have laws and courts for this abhorrations of humanity. Ukraine must be given all and everything they need to defeat Russia but at the same time they must stick to these laws. The support they are given are within these legal boundaries, and I would think dependent of them.
Imagine if Ukraine committed the same crimes as the Russians did in Butja. I think that would considerably lessen the support the world is prepared to give.