Russia’s Goal is to Erase all Ukrainians from Human Memory

Put aside Putin’s untrue explanations about why Russia again invaded Ukraine. In reality, Putin’s sacred mission is to annihilate all living Ukrainians from human memory.

This war of Russia’s that it’s been waging for more than 1,000 days has only one goal: to subjugate the people, turn future generations of Ukrainians into docile Russians, remove the border between Ukraine and Russia, and rub out all memory of a nation known as Ukrainian.

History is replete with examples of Moscow’s tsars, commissars or today’s dictators trying to do this.

It’s comparable to what Hitler hoped to do with Jews.

Since this latest iteration of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine began in February 2022, its brutality has been well documented. It has been detailed at the United Nations, international organizations, and the capitals of free-world countries.

Unarmed civilians have been summarily killed in their homes, churches, hospitals, schools; others on the street waiting for food parcels; children have been raped and murdered, or forcibly taken to Russia from their living or dead parents. The list of war crimes screams to high heaven for retribution.

The record also includes the sudden execution of Ukrainian soldiers who have been forced to surrender, thus becoming prisoners of war. None of this matters to Russian cutthroats.

Last week the BBC published an article detailing that Russia is executing “more and more” Ukrainian POWs.

You may recall the heartless fate of Ukrainian sniper Oleksandr Matsievsky, who was killed after digging his own grave while taking his last drag of a cigarette, and proudly declaring to his captors “Glory to Ukraine.”

The BBC observed that Oleksandr Matsievsky is one of many Ukrainian combatants who were killed in violation of international norms that protect prisoners of war. International humanitarian law, particularly the Third Geneva Convention, offers protection to prisoners of war, and executing them is a war crime.

The BBC wrote that in October on 2024, nine captured Ukrainian soldiers were shot dead by Russian forces in Kursk region. Ukrainian prosecutors are investigating the case including a photo showing half-naked bodies lying on the ground. This photo was enough for one of the victims, drone operator Ruslan Holubenko, to be identified by his parents. His frantic mother recognized her son by his underwear that she had bought for him.

“The list of executions goes on. Ukrainian prosecutors are investigating reports of beheadings and a sword being used to kill a Ukrainian soldier with his hands tied behind his back. In another instance, a video showed 16 Ukrainian soldiers apparently being lined up and then mowed down with automatic gunfire after emerging from a woods to surrender,” the article states.

Some of the executions were filmed by Russian cutthroats themselves, while others were observed by Ukrainian drones hovering above. The killings captured on such videos usually take place in woods or fields lacking distinctive features, which makes confirming their exact location difficult. BBC Verify said it has been able to confirm in several cases – such as one beheading – that the victims wear Ukrainian uniforms and that the videos are recent.

“The upward trend is very clear, very obvious,” Yuri Belousov, the head of the War Department at the Ukrainian Prosecutor-General’s Office, was quoted as saying.

“Executions became systemic from November last year and have continued throughout all of this year. Sadly, their number has been particularly on the rise this summer and autumn. This tells us that they are not isolated cases. They are happening across vast areas and they have clear signs of being part of a policy – there is evidence that instructions to this effect are being issued.”

Rachel Denber, deputy director of the Europe and Central Asia Division at Human Rights Watch, told BBC there is no shortage of evidence supporting allegations of Ukrainian prisoners of war being executed by Russian troops. According to her, impunity plays a key part, and the Russian army has some serious questions to answer.

“What instructions do these units have, either formally or informally from their commanders? Are their commanders being quite clear about what the Geneva Conventions say about the treatment of prisoners of war? What are Russian military commanders telling their units about their conduct? What steps is the chain of command taking to investigate these instances? And if higher ups are not investigating, or not taking steps to prevent that conduct, are they aware that they too are criminally liable and can be held accountable?” she ponders.

According to Human Rights Watch, since the full-scale invasion began in February 2022 the Russian forces have committed “a litany of violations, including those which should be investigated as war crimes or crimes against humanity.”

Keep these crimes in mind when next to encounter a Russian diplomat on the streets of New York or Washington, DC.