Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
Russia started war in Ukraine
THE Russians did not intervene “to halt the carnage” in Ukraine, as George Aimer claims.
The armed conflict in Eastern Ukraine started in 2014. Between then and early 2022, it had already caused the deaths of more than 14,000 people.
The civilians who died during this period of war were not targeted by their own government’s army. Yes, they were casualties of war, but every war takes a drastic toll on civilians, as we have known since our early ancestors clubbed each other to death. Any government which deliberately targeted civilians would be in contravention of the Geneva Conventions.
Vladimir Putin’s initial aim was to overrun Ukraine and depose its government, thus ending its plan to join Nato.
He told the Russian people that he wanted to “demilitarise and de-Nazify Ukraine”.
His tactics to convince them included proclaiming that Ukraine represented a threat, since it had begun to lean towards the West.
Paranoia is a common trait among those who wield power – they know exactly how easy it is to be dethroned, and are haunted by the anticipation of defeat.