Putin’s war causes death, displacement, and deportation of Ukrainian civilians.

The Devastating Impact of Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine

Introduction

The ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine has had a devastating impact on the Ukrainian people. While some view this war as integral to America’s natural security interests, others do not. Regardless of one’s perspective, the facts speak for themselves.

The Invasion and Its Consequences

In 2014, Russia invaded Ukraine, first in the Donbas regions of Luhansk and Donetsk and the Crimean Peninsula, and then in 2022 throughout the eastern portion of the nation. The Russian military and occupation authorities have visited death, dislocation, and deportation on Ukrainian civilians. The nature of these depravations varies widely and cannot be fully understood without also viewing Russia’s objectives through the lens of the invasion’s architect, Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Putin views Ukraine as an illegitimate state and Ukrainians as an integral part of Russia. For this reason, he sees the Ukrainian nationality, language, and faith traditions as needing to be stamped out, with Ukrainians being reeducated into Russians. This effort takes on additional urgency in light of Russia’s demographic decline. As Russians flee conscription, young Russian men in the military can’t start families, and worsened economic conditions depress births. Thousands won’t return to start families at all.

The Conduct of the War

Reports of Russian soldiers executing civilians, the operation of so-called “filtration camps,” the deportation of Ukrainian civilians, and the deportation of Ukrainian children are just some of the atrocities committed by Russian forces in Ukraine.

Russia attempted to blitz Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022. The Russians sent their best troops in a mad dash for Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital. Columns of Russian armor bypassed towns while air assault forces seized Antonov Airport in Hostomel, only 20 miles from the center of Kyiv. Putin expected Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s government to collapse — as did President Joe Biden, who offered Zelensky and his family an air evacuation out of Kyiv to which Zelensky responded on Feb. 25, “The fight is here; I need ammunition, not a ride.”

As Russian soldiers arrived in Bucha, a mile south of Hostomel, Russian soldiers began looking for specific people, identified in advance of the invasion by Russian intelligence. The Russians were acting on the infamous “kill lists” — a compilation of important people, from Zelensky and his family, to local elected officials, journalists, veterans, and other leaders.

With victory imminent, why bother with proper practice? Might makes right, after all. The Russians even had a word for it: “zachistka” or cleansing.

The Impact on Civilians

Today, the Russians use “filtration camps” to determine the status of civilians who come under their control. This, at least in form, tracks with international norms — and is certainly better than a bullet to the back of the head. But it isn’t just civilians deemed too loyal to Ukraine that have been “filtered” out to Russia. Russian media reported last August that 3.4 million Ukrainians, of whom 555,000 were children, were in Russia as a result of the war. Large numbers of these, even those not actively helping the Ukrainian war effort, weren’t given a choice and, in some cases, were tortured or abused. As in Stalin’s day, many have been sent to economically distressed villages in Siberia.

These deported Ukrainians must work. They are also carefully monitored by the Russian Orthodox church which, at the direction of the Moscow patriarchate, works to have “spiritual conversations” in the furtherance of “Russifying” the Ukrainian exiles. Ukrainian children, most of whom do not speak Russian, need urgent “retraining,” per the Russian Council of Federations. These 555,000 Ukrainian children, if kidnapped and forcibly assimilated into Russia, coincidentally just manage to cover Russia’s population decline since the disastrous war Putin launched on his neighbor.

Conclusion

The impact of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine cannot be overstated. The atrocities committed by Russian forces have had a devastating impact on Ukrainian civilians, and the ongoing conflict shows no signs of abating. It is important for the international community to take action to hold Russia accountable for its actions and to support the Ukrainian people in their struggle for freedom and independence.

About the Author: Chuck DeVore is chief national initiatives officer at the Texas Public Policy Foundation, vice chairman of the Golden State Policy Council, a former California legislator, and a retired U.S. Army lieutenant colonel. He’s the author of “The Crisis of the House Never United—A Novel of Early America.”

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