Russia continues its brutal assault

This Feb. 24 will mark two years of the Russian military invasion of Ukraine. This war of aggression has caused the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people, sent millions of others fleeing for their lives, and devastated Ukraine’s civilian infrastructure, including schools, hospitals and homes.

As revealed by the investigations of leading human rights organizations, Russian military forces have engaged in numerous war crimes, among them mass torture and rape. The kidnapping of Ukrainian children has been so widespread and flagrant that it has led the International Criminal Court to issue an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin.

From the inception of the Russian invasion, international organizations have sharply condemned it. This includes the International Court of Justice, which on March 16, 2022, demanded that the Russian government immediately end its military assault. On repeated occasions, the United Nations General Assembly, by overwhelming margins, has denounced the Russian invasion and called for the Russian military’s withdrawal from Ukraine.

And what has been the response of the Kremlin? Determined to subdue and gobble up its much smaller neighbor, the increasingly dictatorial Russian government has relentlessly continued its brutal, imperialist war and, thus far, has announced the annexation of one-fifth of Ukraine’s territory.

Let’s not forget Russia’s war of conquest or the brave determination of the Ukrainian people to preserve their freedom and independence.

Lawrence Wittner Albany The writer is a professor emeritus of history at the University at Albany.