News of atrocities that have shaken the human conscience has been coming out of the battlefield in Ukraine in recent days. Shocking reports of Russian troops shooting innocent people, gang-raping Ukrainian women, including girls, and looting property. Hundreds of bodies have been found in Bucha, near the Ukrainian capital Kiev alone, according to international media reports. Russia, which failed to capture Kyiv, has recently withdrawn its troops from cities, including Bucha. The bodies were found on the streets and the Russian military’s atrocities were exposed as Ukrainian officials returned to the area following the withdrawal of troops.
Al Jazeera reported that the bodies of 410 civilians were found in Bucha. Mikhail Palinchak, a photographer, captured the bodies of many civilians scattered in the streets and the vehicles of civilians set on fire. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has said he was shocked by the discovery of civilian bodies in Ukrainian cities following the withdrawal of Russian troops. He also demanded an independent investigation into the incident. Butchem Mayor Anatoly Fedoruk told the AFP news agency that the vast majority of Russian military gunmen are civilians who have no ability or weapons to defend themselves. Most were shot in the head from behind. Anatoly Fedoruk says Russian soldiers, including a 14-year-old boy, were shot dead indiscriminately, despite the fact that Ukrainian nationals wore white bandages to indicate they were unarmed.
Ukrainian housewives, realizing that they could be victims of Russian military brutality at any time, have been seen writing their names and addresses on their bodies to save and identify their children if they lose their lives. Sasha Makovi posted a picture of her baby on Twitter with a request that someone be prepared to adopt children if something happens to them. They have written the name, date of birth and phone number of the family members on the outside of the child. Many media people share these photos with the caption that it is a heartbreaking sight and points to the horrors of war. Earlier, The Guardian reported that Russian troops were using Ukrainian children as human shields on the battlefield. Russian troops are moving to various cities as buses loaded with Ukrainian children are parked in front of tanks to prevent a counter-attack by Ukrainian forces.
There are also reports of Ukrainian women being gang-raped and sexually abused. According to media reports, the women told police, journalists and human rights groups that Russian soldiers had raped them at gunpoint and even tortured them in front of children. The bodies of a man and three women were found covered in blankets 20 kilometers from Kiev. The bodies of these women, who were completely naked, were half-burned. They are believed to have been set on fire by soldiers after being raped and killed. La Strada, president of Ukraine, a non-governmental organization for rape victims, said that many women had contacted the hotline for help during Russia’s occupation of Kiev, but had not been able to contact them directly or help during the war.
War also has certain rules and regulations. All laws of war, including the Geneva Convention, state that war should not be used as an opportunity to kill anyone who sees it and to exploit the helplessness of women. Islamic laws of war are the most humane and moral of this category. The advice given by Khalifa Abu Bakr Siddiq when sending troops into a battle is noteworthy. ‘Do not attack or kill women, children or the elderly. Do not cut down fruit trees or destroy houses. Do not kill animals except for food ‘. The injunction of Islam is not to attack anyone unreasonably except for defense. Islam also commands that no one should steal or kill from war. Today’s wars are blowing away all laws. This leaves the International Court of Justice with no choice but to question and take action.
