Editorial Ta Nea: War crimes

Words cannot describe the horrific images from the slaughter perpetrated on the streets of Bucha, Ukraine.

The massacre of civilians by Russian troops in the city, which is near Kyiv, reawakens memories from WWII, and the propagandistic statements of Russian officials will not change the truth that the entire world saw in photographs and satellite evidence.

Moscow has committed war crimes and could even be charged with genocide, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

The international community cannot just issue statements of condemnation or simply express its horror. It has a duty to collect all the evidence of Russian war crimes there and to bring to justice all those who are responsible, whether members of the military or politicians.

This is no easy task. It is legally complicated, as the Russian Federation does not recognise the jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice at The Hague (ICJ). This does not mean, however, that one should not dare to make the attempt.

It is by now perfectly clear that Putin’s army is conducting a war without rules on the territory of Ukraine, which as it unfolds is ever more reminiscent of the one unleashed by Nazi Germany in Europe.

The Free World has but one choice – to punish those responsible.