Russia’s calculated targeting of a children’s hospital in Kyiv is important for several reasons.
It is proof, if any is still needed, that the Kremlin is committing genocide in Ukraine. It’s a sign of the Putin regime’s barbarism and desperation. And it’s a mark of strategic stupidity.
It's important to call things by their name and not hide behind evasive verbiage. The Putin regime has consistently targeted civilians, regardless of age or gender, since the beginning of the war. Remember the horrific scenes of the bombed maternity hospital in Mariupol? Recall the theater marked “CHILDREN” that the Russians bombed? That was about two years ago.
Putin’s goal has remained consistent and clear from the start: the annihilation in whole or in part of Ukrainians. That is genocide, which makes Putin a genocidaire and his apologists in the West morally complicit in Moscow’s crimes.
Can one speak to a barbarian? Can one negotiate with a savage who violates all moral codes and is committed to rampant destruction? Ukraine’s critics often accuse President Volodymyr Zelensky of intransigence. But just what is Zelensky supposed to talk about with a monstrous tyrant who has openly stated that he desires to exterminate Ukraine as a nation?
Calls for negotiation, even if motivated by a sincere........