Europe

In the wake of the liberation of Bucha by Ukrainian forces, 412 bodies were found littered in the streets, buildings and shallow graves throughout the region. As of 15 April, this tally has risen to over 600, with 80% of victims being identified as having bullet wounds.

On February 21, 2022, three days before its invasion of Ukraine, Russia recognized the Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics as independent states.

The tactics employed by the Russian government are nothing more than a ploy to suppress its own political opposition. These discriminatory tactics are reflective of the distaste the Russian government has for what it views as unpatriotic ideology.

With all evidence considered, the actions of the Belarusian security forces amount to a denial of not only the rights to freedom of association and assembly but also freedom from torture, free speech, the right to due process and effective remedies and demonstrates failures of the national accountability mechanisms.

While the assessment of general and specific IHL only leaves more questions, the short and safe answer is that Russia’s sole use of thermobaric weaponry is permitted by IHL.

Moscow must not be allowed to get away with this, even if the sanctions are also costly to the side imposing them. If Russia thinks it has won Ukraine, it is naïve to think it will stop there – this victory will only embolden it to go after everything else it desires.

Since the fall of the USSR, Ukraine has come a long way. While the country still struggles with corruption and economic challenges, it has made strides towards becoming a successful, Western-facing democracy. To safeguard this progress, and the state’s territorial integrity, the West should stand firm against Russia’s recent manoeuvres in forthcoming talks – and Ukraine must be involved.

With mounting tensions between the two states, two key concerns regarding the potential population displacement a major conflict would trigger have taken the spotlight. Firstly, in the event of a full-scale invasion by Russia, where shall the displaced Ukrainians flee to? Secondly, will these displaced Ukrainians have the humanitarian and military support to allow for their escape?

The current context demands proactive, thoughtful and purposeful action across multiple well-coordinated organisations, all working towards a shared vision of Europe’s future in the space domain.

While politicians continue their war of words and the EU’s eastern border continues to be fortified, it is these migrants who are stuck in the middle of two worlds unknown to them who are facing the consequences. This crisis may not be about them, but it has everything to do with them.