Modern Day Nuremberg Required for Russian War Crimes

Posted on June 15, 2022June 15, 2022 by Denise Simon

Russia war crimes did not begin with the invasion of Ukraine, those with short memories should be reminded that all the same tactics were used in Syria and went unpunished. Shameful, but read on.

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As Russia continues its assault on Ukraine, top Biden administration officials are working behind the scenes with the Ukrainian government and European allies to document a tsunami of war crimes allegedly committed by Russian forces. But the sheer volume of the documented war crime cases could be too overwhelming for Ukraine’s justice system as well as for the International Criminal Court (ICC), raising questions of how many cases will be brought to trial and how many accused Russian war criminals could ultimately face justice.

An aerial view of crosses, floral tributes, and photographs of the victims of the battles for Irpin and Bucha that mark the graves in a cemetery in Irpin, Ukraine, on May 16.

An aerial view of crosses, floral tributes, and photographs of the victims of the battles for Irpin and Bucha that mark the graves in a cemetery in Irpin, Ukraine, on May 16. Christopher Furlong/Getty Images

“This is a Nuremberg moment in terms of just the sheer scale of the breach of the rules-based international order that has been perpetrated by Russia in this invasion,” said Beth Van Schaack, the U.S. ambassador-at-large for global criminal justice. “Even the most well-resourced prosecutorial office would have a hard time grappling with the sheer scale of the criminality that’s been on display.”

The United States joined a slew of other Western countries and international institutions in devoting resources to help Ukraine document and collect evidence on as many alleged war crimes as possible, from Russian soldiers torturing, raping, and executing Ukrainian civilians to Russian armored units and air forces indiscriminately shelling civilian targets. Keep reading here.

Weapons experts from France are helping their Ukrainian counterparts collect evidence of possible Russian war crimes in the northern region of Chernihiv, Ukraine’s prosecutor general said on Friday.

The French Gendarmerie’s experts, including specialists in drone modelling, ballistics and weapons of mass destruction, have been collecting evidence at sites of destruction from Russian shelling.

They replaced group of gendarmerie forensic experts who arrived in mid-April to help establish what happened in Bucha, near Kyiv, where the killing of many civilians provoked a global outcry.

“It will soon be two months since (French experts) have been with us ‘on the ground’,” Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova wrote on her Facebook account.

“They work in the Chernihiv region and conduct research at sites destroyed by shelling,” she wrote. “These war crimes must be punished, and we are ready to do together everything to do
so.”

The Chernihiv region has been shelled frequently since Russia invaded on Feb. 24. Ukraine is also investigating potential war crimes by Russian soldiers in Chernihiv during their occupation in March.

Russia denies targeting civilians and has rejected allegations of war crimes in what it calls a “special military operation” to demilitarize and “denazify” Ukraine.

Kyiv and its allies say Russia invaded its neighbor without provocation. source

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Ukraine has identified several thousand suspected war crimes in the eastern Donbas region where Russian forces are pressing their offensive, Kyiv’s chief prosecutor said Tuesday.

“Of course we started a few thousand cases about what we see in Donbas,” prosecutor general Iryna Venediktova told a news conference in The Hague as she met international counterparts.

“If we speak about war crimes, it’s about possible transfer of people, we started several cases about possible transfer of children, adult people to different parts of the Russian Federation,” she said.

“Then, of course, we can speak about torturing people, killing civilians and destroying civilian infrastructure.”

Ukrainian authorities did not have access to Russian-held areas of Donbas, but they were interviewing evacuees and prisoners of war, Venediktova told the press conference at the headquarters of EU judicial agency Eurojust.

In total, Ukraine had identified 15,000 war crimes cases across the country since Russia’s invasion on February 24, she added.

Ukraine had identified 600 suspects for the “anchor” crime of aggression, including “high level of top military, politicians and propaganda agents of Russian Federation,” the prosecutor general said.

Nearly 80 suspects had been identified for alleged war crimes that had actually taken place on Ukrainian soil, she added. source

General Allen (USMC Ret) Placed on Leave During FBI Probe

Posted on June 9, 2022June 9, 2022 by Denise Simon

At one point, General Allen was the top commander in Afghanistan until he retired in 2013. Imagine his knowledge and work at the Brookings Institute since his retirement but more consider his influence of the Biden administration for his advocacy of Qatar, the small Middle East country that Obama designated for the embassy location for the Taliban. Has anyone asked General Allen about his collaboration with Biden on the exit of U.S. forces in Afghanistan? Did Allen even show any emotion for those soldiers killed in Kabul as the U.S. bailed out? Crickets….

Oh yeah…President Barack Obama appointed Allen as special presidential envoy for the Global Coalition to Counter ISIL but that did not work out at all until President Trump terminated ISIS. As a sidebar…former CIA chief…John Brennan is an advisor for the Brookings Institute.

If you read on, perhaps this explains it all.

Gen. John Allen, Recent Top Commander In Afghanistan, Is Retiring

The prestigious Brookings Institution placed its president, retired four-star Marine Gen. John Allen, on administrative leave Wednesday amid a federal investigation into his role in an illegal lobbying campaign on behalf of the wealthy Persian Gulf nation of Qatar.

Brookings’ announcement came a day after The Associated Press reported on new court filings that show the FBI recently seized Allen’s electronic data as part of the probe and detailed his behind-the scenes efforts to help Qatar influence U.S. policy in 2017 when a diplomatic crisis erupted between the gas-rich monarchy and its neighbors.

Brookings Puts Retired Gen. John Allen on Leave Amid Lobbying Inquiry - The New York Times source

Allen, who led U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan before being tapped to lead Brookings in late 2017, has not been charged with any crimes. His spokesman, Beau Phillips, said Wednesday that Allen had done nothing improper or unlawful.

“Through decades of public service in combat and diplomacy, General Allen has earned an unmatched, sterling reputation for honor and integrity,” Phillips said in a statement. “We look forward to correcting the falsehoods about General Allen that have been improperly publicized in this matter.”

Brookings told staffers in an email Wednesday that the institute itself is not under investigation and that the think tank’s executive vice president, Ted Gayer, will serve as acting president.

“We have every confidence in the Brookings team’s ability to remain focused on delivering quality, independence, and impact,” the email said.

Brookings pays Allen more than $1 million a year, according to its most recently available tax records. The email to staff did not say whether Allen would continue to be paid while on leave.

The federal investigation involving Allen has already ensnared Richard G. Olson, a former ambassador to the United Arab Emirates and Pakistan who pleaded guilty to federal charges last week, and Imaad Zuberi, a prolific political donor now serving a 12-year prison sentence on corruption charges. Several members of Congress have also been interviewed.

An FBI agent said in an affidavit in support of a search warrant there was “substantial evidence” that Allen had knowingly broken a foreign lobbying law, and had made false statements and withheld “incriminating” documents.

Allen’s behind-the-scenes work involved traveling to Qatar and meeting with the country’s top officials to offer them advice on how to influence U.S. policy, as well as promoting Qatar’s point of view to top White House officials and Congress, according to the FBI affidavit.

The Qatar Embassy did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Brookings is one of the most influential think thanks in the U.S. and has long had strong ties to Qatar. In 2007, the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs agreed to fund a Brookings-backed offshoot in Qatar called the Brookings Doha Center.

The Qatari government said in a 2012 news release that the center’s role included “reflecting the bright image of Qatar in the international media, especially the American ones,” according to a New York Times report that showed Qatar had given Brookings $14.4 million in donations over a four-year span.

As a nonprofit, Brookings does not have to disclose its donations but it voluntarily discloses some data. Its annual reports show Qatar giving at least $2 million a year from 2016 to 2021. More here from AP

Rainbow Bullets Promoted at the USMC

Posted on June 2, 2022June 2, 2022 by Denise Simon

It was November of last year, 2021 that the Commandant of the Marine Corps admitted the Corps was going woke. General David Berger planned a big overhaul and it is clearly happening. The Marines have an alleged diversity problem and a recruiting problem so the decision was made to reach out to the LGBT community to solve the issue…by painting bullets in rainbow colors to be worn in the helmet strap.

Exactly what is really going on at the Pentagon? Where is the advisory council? Is the SECDEF really good with this? How does this work in the Middle East verses militant Islam?

How about Semper Taeter Marines?

General Berger went on to retool the Corps by saying to compete we need to ‘shake its MANPOWER model’.

The Marine Corps marked the start of Pride month with an image of a combat helmet adorned with rainbow-colored bullets on Wednesday — sparking outrage over the mixing of warfare and wokeness.

“Throughout June, the USMC takes #Pride in recognizing and honoring the contributions of our LGBTQ service members,” the Marines tweeted on their official account.

“We remain committed to fostering an environment free from discrimination, and defend the values of treating all equally, with dignity and respect.”

The message was accompanied by an image reminiscent of the poster for the 1987 Vietnam War movie “Full Metal Jacket,” which featured a helmet with rounds of high-powered rifle ammo tucked into its band.

But instead of having “BORN TO KILL” scrawled across the helmet’s camouflage cover, the updated version has “PROUD TO SERVE” written on the band — and bullets colored red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple.

The image of the helmet with rainbow bullets was widely mocked on social media.
@USMC

The poster for director Stanley Kubrick’s 1987 film.
©Warner Bros/Courtesy Everett C

The tweet quickly prompted thousands of responses, with Erick Aguilar, a Republican congressional candidate in Florida, sarcastically asking, “Ummmm….. Is this satire?”

Jason Buttrill, whose profile says he’s a former Marine and Defense Department analyst, wrote, “F–k out of here with this. We don’t take political sides, and we don’t engage in social commentary. We kill the enemy… period.”

User @Hannibalsbarka snarked, “Getting killed by a rainbow bullet is so progressive.”

Another user, @TheRealEJones, lamented, “What the actual F. My Corp [sic]. And a great movie cover destroyed by wokism.”

User @VrishnikG also referenced “Full Metal Jacket” by posting a meme of the movie’s drill instructor, played by the late R. Lee Ermey, telling his recruits, “Here, you are all equally worthless.”

“They should’ve stuck with this message,” the tweet added.

Christina Pushaw, a spokeswoman for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, said, “Seriously? How does fixating on differences foster cohesion and unity?”

A similar sentiment was voiced by user @JackedTNT, who urged, “Focus on building warriors and less about social bulls–t.”

Legendary Marine Lt. General Lewis “Chesty” Puller was invoked by user @RufusDryer, who said the Corps’ most-decorated member “is rolling in his grave.”

The Butcher(s) of Bucha, Ukraine and the War Crimes Evidence Details

Posted on April 5, 2022April 5, 2022 by Denise Simon

InformNapalm volunteers named Omurbekov as unit 51460 of the 64th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade amid suspicions of grotesque war crimes in Bucha.

Lieutenant Colonel Azatbek Omurbekov is suspected to be the commander of Russian operations in Bucha source

Coal

Click the ‘coal’ link above but fair warning of graphic video of Bucha.

The Russian commander behind the atrocities in Bucha has been named and pictured.

It comes as “mounting evidence” of war crimes committed by Russian forces in the city near capital Kyiv will be discussed by a United Nations Security Council today.

The Ukrainian President – who was seen holding back tears as he visited the aftermath on Monday – will address the council, which is pushing to ensure “justice is done”.

Volodymyr Zelensky surveyed the alleged atrocities near capital Kyiv, describing the discovery of raped women and murdered children among the dead.

He was accompanied by defending servicemen after invading troops had retreated from the area.

US President Joe Biden called for Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin to face a war crimes trial, adding he is now seeking further sanctions against Russia.

“This guy is brutal and what’s happening in Bucha is outrageous and everyone’s seen it,” he said in an impassioned speech last night.

A satellite image shows Yablonska Street in the aftermath of the massacre

A satellite image shows Yablonska Street in the aftermath of the massacre (Image: via REUTERS)

Ukrainian officials have vowed to hunt down the “butchers of Bucha” after hundreds of dead civilians were discovered.

Furthermore, there are several Associated Press reports by journalists on the ground.

(AP) — Six charred bodies piled together were being investigated on Tuesday in Bucha, the town outside of Kyiv where graphic evidence of killings and torture has emerged following the withdrawal of Russian forces.

It was not clear who the people were or under what circumstances they were killed. One of the bodies was smaller than the others, likely a child, said Andrii Nebytov, head of police in the Kyiv region. One of the bodies had a gunshot wound to the head.

The pile of bodies seen by Associated Press journalists was just off a residential street, near a colorful and empty playground, and was visible to passersby as they warily went outdoors to collect aid.

“It’s horrible,” said Ukrainian Interior Minister Denys Monastyrsky at the scene, which included other journalists. The minister said Russian President Vladimir Putin should “go to hell.”

Ukrainian officials have said the bodies of at least 410 civilians have been found in towns around Kyiv that were recaptured from Russian forces in recent days. The Ukrainian prosecutor-general’s office has described one room discovered in Bucha as a “torture chamber.”

Police carry a dead body of one of six civilians – three women, one teenager girl and two men who were found in Bucha, close to Kyiv, Ukraine, Tuesday, Apr. 5, 2022. Ukraine’s president plans to address the U.N.’s most powerful body after even more grisly evidence emerged of civilian massacres in areas that Russian forces recently left. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

EDS NOTE: GRAPHIC CONTENT – A police officer stands next to six unidentified charred bodies lying on the ground at a residential area in Bucha, on the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine, Tuesday, April 5, 2022. Ukraine’s president plans to address the U.N.’s most powerful body after even more grisly evidence emerged of civilian massacres in areas that Russian forces recently left. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)

Workers carry the body of people found dead to a cemetery in Bucha, outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine, Tuesday, April 5, 2022. Ukraine’s president told the U.N. Security Council on Tuesday that the Russian military must be brought to justice immediately for war crimes, accusing invading troops of the worst atrocities since World War II. He stressed that Bucha was only one place and there are more with similar horrors. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)

New additional detail:

Bucha’s butcher has a name and a face. Omurbekov Azatbek Asanbekovich is the name of the commander of the Russian troops who on March 31 demobilized from the town north of Kiev, leaving behind civilians corpses on the street, in mass graves, Ukrainians executed with a blow to the back of the head and their hands tied.

The activists of InformNapalm, who also published the email and the phone, perhaps turned off after the spread of news of the massacre, as no one answers, revealed his identity on Telegram.

The photo of Asanbekovich, commander of military unit 51460, 64th brigade of motorized riflemen, was also published: young man, in camouflage, a tank behind, full lips, elongated eyes of the Buryats, the largest ethnic minority of Mongolian origin from Siberia. And precisely from Siberia, to be precise from Knyaze-Volkonskoye, unit 51460 left.

“We were also able to find the home address of the Russian executioner,” wrote InformNapalm volunteers, announcing the publication of data, archives and explanations on how to find the Russian commander.

“Every Ukrainian should know their names. Remember. All war criminals will be tried and brought to justice for crimes committed against Ukrainian civilians, ”reads the statement of the Chief Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, published on its website. Below is a detailed list of 87 pages with the names of the more than 1,600 Russian soldiers believed to be involved in the massacre. In the list, the soldiers are identified with military rank, name and surname, date of birth and passport details.

Among the surnames there are also some of the most common in Chechnya. Some of their faces can be seen in the photos posted on the net: boys, almond-shaped eyes, smiling in front of the lens.

Bucha residents, for their part, told the news site Obozrevatel that the Russian soldiers “simply went from yard to yard shooting all the men and boys. Among them we recognized Buryats with narrow and long eyes ”.

For Moscow, on the other hand, those corpses, those photos that shocked the whole world, are propaganda, a “staging of the West and Ukraine”.

Ukraine and the West Now in Possession of Russia’s War Plans

Posted on March 12, 2022March 12, 2022 by Denise Simon

It was just a few days ago, this website published a piece how Ukraine with the help of the United States was exploiting abandoned Russian equipment on the battlefield. This included interrogations of Russian conscripts, weapons, manuals and military gear. But as days go by, the Russian foot soldiers are proving to be quite unprepared and even sloppy. How so you ask?

Is the Ukraine-Russia meeting a path forward or political sideshow? - CNN source

If you don’t think our enemies and adversaries keep a close tab on all things military and political, this should change your mind. Putin’s war plan for Ukraine is for the most part the exact military strategy the United States used for the Iraq conflict.

Russia’s war plan for the battle for Ukraine was to last 15 days…it is no wonder that Putin has in fact authorized the hiring of Syrian urban war-fighters to join his forces.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine: What's going on on the battlefield source

But read on…

Source: Ukraine’s Defense Ministry said Wednesday that its armed forces had seized secret battle plans left behind by Russian soldiers. It said the documents suggested Russia’s war with Ukraine would last 15 days.

The seized documents were posted on Facebook by the ministry and showed the war plans of one of the units of the battalion tactical group of the 810th Separate Guards Naval Infantry Brigade of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, the ministry said.

An invasion map, a table of call signs, and a list of personnel were in the documents, according to Ukraine’s Defense Ministry.

The ministry’s Facebook post followed a similar disclosure on the social-media site by Ukraine’s Joint Forces Operation.

“Thanks to the successful actions of one of the Armed Forces of Ukraine’s units, Russian occupiers are losing not only equipment and manpower,” the defense ministry said. “In panic attacks, they are leaving classified documents.”

The ministry said that based on the documents, Russia approved its invasion of Ukraine on January 18.

The operation was meant to last 15 days from February 20 to March 6, the ministry said based on its review of the documents. Insider could not independently verify this conclusion.

One of the documents posted by the ministry appeared to be dated January 18, a full month before Russia attacked — while another planning document of call signs for different units spanned the dates February 20 to March 6, with daily code-name changes for different Russian commands to contact each other without disclosing their identities.

The documents did not appear to give any information about Russian forces taking any Ukrainian city.

Russian President Vladimir Putin launched his country’s invasion of Ukraine in the early-morning hours of February 24. The full extent of Putin’s plan to assault Ukraine has been unclear, but a former Russian deputy foreign minister told Al Jazeera that he had information that the Russian leader wanted to declare victory within a week — a goal that now appears extremely unlikely, with Russian forces having seized only one major Ukrainian city after six days of fighting.

Ukraine’s Defense Ministry said the “final objective” by these Russian forces who had the planning documents “was to block and seize” the southeastern Ukrainian city of Melitopol.

“That is why you should not trust when a prisoner of war is saying again that he or she came to the exercises and got lost! They knew, they planned precisely and they had been preparing,” the ministry said on Facebook.

It added, “Our response to the Russian occupiers is the following: Keep leaving your vehicles and classified documents, they will be useful for our defenders and The Hague.”

Translations by Nikita Angarski.