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Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, over 6.6 million refugees have left their homes behind. Most of them have settled in close countries such as Poland, Romania, and Moldova. Others have moved a bit further away to England, Germany, Finland amongst many other nations. On top of this, 7.7 million people have been displaced within the country. The war has left a huge toll on the Ukrainian elderly, children and women who make up the bulk of those that have fled since 24 February 2022.  Unfortunately, a side effect of the influx of people, has been a steady threat of human trafficking. These heinous criminals take advantage of the fact that these Ukrainian refugees depend on the kindness of people. First they offer them help and then ruin their lives.  Ukrainian refugees left Ukraine in droves on packed trains (Image: istockphoto.com) VOLUNTEERS IN DROVES In the first days of the war, there was a flood of volunteers. They were all inspired to help in some way to the Ukraine eff...

The Russians have committed war crimes since the beginning of the invasion in Ukraine. Murders, mass executions, torture, looting and sexual assault of women and children are just some of the heinous activities that the invaders have inflicted upon the Ukrainian civilians.  In this post, we look at how war crimes can be defined according to the international law of armed conflict and look at some evidence of these in Ukraine. WHAT IS A WAR CRIME? A '' code of conduct' ' for defining behaviour in a war zone can be traced back for centuries. However, the current laws of armed conflict and international humanitarian law were created around the end of the 19th century to the beginning of the 20th century. Over the years, it has evolved to the Hague Conventions adopted in 1899 and 1907. These focus on the methods of warfare that can be used and what warring parties are allowed and prohibited to do. A few other treaties have been developed since then. A woman and child evacua...

We are now four weeks into the Russia-Ukraine war. Four weeks into civilians getting killed. Children dying. Millions of refugees spread around Europe. And many more affected by this devastating war. A war caused by Vladimir Putin. A war he thought would last three days. Beautiful Mauripol destroyed by Russian shelling  The motivation to fight is very high for the Ukrainian people. Men and women have gathered to defend their land, with many refusing to leave. Over 320,000 Ukrainians have returned to their homeland to take part in the fight. Nearly 20,000 international people have volunteered to fight for the Ukrainian side from other countries. However, as the conflict drags on and reaches a stalemate, the general mood of the population will also stagnate. One thing that we must consider is that this war will last as long as one of the fighting sides have energy to fight. ROCK BOTTOM ENEMY MORALE Captured Russian soldiers Russian soldiers’ morale is extremely low,...

As we are entering the third week of the of the Russia-Ukraine war.....Ukraine is still standing! Sure, bombs are flying, and missiles are hitting every residential building, school and hospital, but Ukrainians are still fighting against the Russian invaders. And, make no mistake, they are invaders, unwelcomed visitors on Ukrainian land. How various cities in Ukraine looks like now, after constant shelling On 7th March, there was the third round of negotiations between the two countries. Russia came up with a list of demands for ceasefire that Ukraine must comply with, for this war to end: Ukraine to stop military action Enshrine neutrality as part of its constitution Allow the absorption of Crimea into Russian territory Recognise Luhansk and Donetsk as independent territories, as per the Kremlin vote in middle of February. No surprise that the peace talks failed. Russia really wants to push Ukraine in a corner, to get it to play ball to their insane demands. But Ukraine will ...

As we get into the second week of the Ukraine - Russia conflict, concerns are rising that the aggressors will deploy harmful thermobaric weapons, or so called ''vacuum bombs''. If these are used, the human cost and environmental damage will be insurmountable. Fears are that the Kremlin is getting increasingly frustrated with the slow pace of the conflict and will escalate offences to make Ukraine fall. In this post we will have a look at these awful explosives, which have been dubbed the ''poor man's nuclear weapon''. WHAT ARE THERMOBARIC WEAPONS? Also known as aerosol bombs or fuel air explosives, thermobaric weapons are two-staged munitions designed to use the oxygen in the air to explode. Fuel air explosives are the worst type of thermobaric weapons. A Russia thermobaric MRLS system Unlike typical explosives, that have a mixture of fuel and oxidizing agent that would cause them to ignite, these vacuum bombs are just filled with fuel and r...

The destruction of Ukraine is now in its third day. The horrors that Russia keeps inflicting on this independent country keeps shocking the world more and more. If we thought that first and second day were bad, the third day is even worse.  The Russian forces are getting closer to Kyiv, in fact some are in the capital, destroying it with bombs and mass shooting. United States predicts that the Ukrainian capital, and seat of the government, will fall in the next few days.  A residential building in the suburbs of Kyiv that was damaged in the conflict After Kyiv will fall, Russia is free to install its puppet government and fully take over Ukraine. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy could be executed. What kind of horror are we, in the West, allowing to happen in Europe?  I, for one, knew about the existence of Zelenskyy in a joke conversation about how a young comedian became president of Ukraine, and now I am writing about his impeding death. That is a too sick thought to bear...

One option in the West's toolbox has been the threat to cut Nord Stream 2 from operations. Germany isn't delighted with this idea. Cutting gas acquirement from Russia means that Europe is left in an energy crisis. With finances decimated from pandemic restrictions, surging energy and life costs affect the bottom dollar of every European household. So, lets see what Nord Stream 2 is and why is it so hotly debated in the fight to prevent a European war. WHAT IS NORD STREAM 2? Nord Stream 2 is the sister project to the already functioning gas line, Nord Stream 1, that has been operational since 2011. It is an offshore project running from region of St Petersburg to Lubim, North-eastern Germany. It runs through the Baltic Sea, under the water. The pipeline was estimated at around 9.5 billion euros, but costs have run up to 11 billion euros. Its main shareholder is Gazprom. The project was started in 2018, and was due to be completed in 2019, but was finished in September 2021. Now,...