Fears are widespread Vladimir Putin turns to previous barbaric tactics to target civilians and level cities during the war Ukraine continues to grow.
Amid the sixth day of violence in the country, rockets hit a TV station tower in the capital, Kyiv, knocking out some TV operators and destroying a nearby Holocaust memorial.
Over the weekend, more rockets were fired at apartment buildings in the east, and banned cluster munitions were reportedly used against civilians.
Speaking of the horrific scenes created by Russia, said former US Secretary of Defense William Cohen CNN that Putin plans to “besiege Kyiv” and “unleash a sacred hell on strikes on civilian areas, killing hundreds if not thousands of civilians.”
Prime Minister Boris Johnson was among the first to condemn the attacks, urging Putin not to flee Grozny against Kyiv as Russian forces faced fierce resistance from brave Ukrainian fighters.
There are fears that Vladimir Putin is turning to previous barbaric tactics to target civilians and level cities, as the war in Ukraine continues to escalate. In the photo: The shelling of Ukrainian streets in Russia takes its toll
Smoke rises around Kyiv’s main TV tower after several explosions near its base on Tuesday afternoon. Prime Minister Boris Johnson was among the first to condemn the attacks, urging Putin not to “miss Grozny” to Kyiv as Russian forces face fierce resistance from brave Ukrainian fighters.
His comment “Grozny-fy” refers to the capital of the Chechen Republic in southern Russia, which was almost completely destroyed during the Second Chechen War in 2000 – at the cost of many thousands of lives.
The city was the site of chemical weapons attacks, indiscriminate bombings and cluster bombs.
These are the tactics in President Putin’s military book. If things do not go according to plan or there are failures, then it will double with even greater force.
Chechnya, the first major conflict during his time in power, gave a first look at his relentless approach, which was repeated in Syria, Georgia and, to a lesser extent, Crimea.
And now the threat of thermobaric “vacuum” bombs on Ukraine’s battlefields shows that Putin is serious.
Russian forces had already spent years suppressing the independence movement in Chechnya when Putin took control of Russia in 1999 after Boris Yeltsin resigned.
Mr Johnson’s comment “Grozny-fy” refers to the capital of the Chechen Republic in southern Russia, which was almost completely destroyed during the Second Chechen War in 2000 – at the cost of many thousands of lives.
Putin and his commanders were relentless: Grozny was first blocked without ammunition, food or other supplies; the artillery bombardment lasted for weeks, killing thousands; and later both sides were accused of using chemical weapons against each other
Grozny was eventually lost on February 6, 2000 – between 5,000 and 8,000 civilians were killed and every building was damaged.
He immediately faced the issue of the Chechen Republic, where militants invaded neighboring Dagestan and claimed an independent Islamic caliphate.
Putin went on the offensive, using intense heavy artillery and air bombardment campaigns to drain his forces.
However, the key to victory would be the battle of Grozny, the capital of Chechnya, and fighters with innate knowledge of the region had gone to bed to defend themselves.
In a chilling echo from Ukraine today, Russia was initially met with fierce resistance, with Chechens using trench systems and even sewage to defend themselves expertly against an offensive. Entire buildings could be locked or nailed to create a deadly ambush.
But Putin and his commanders were relentless: Grozny was first blocked without ammunition, food or other supplies; the artillery bombardment lasted for weeks, killing thousands; and later both sides were accused of using chemical weapons against each other.
Grozny was eventually lost on February 6, 2000 – between 5,000 and 8,000 civilians were killed and every building damaged.
However, the horrors of the Russian military machine did not reach its peak until the Syrian Civil War – which Russia joined in 2015 and was found to have committed UN war crimes.
One human rights group found that between September 17 and October 13, 2015, 36 Russian strikes hit only two ISIS targets and 22 civilian targets, including hospitals, a fire station, and at least one school. 70 civilians were killed
The UK-based pro-opposition Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said that between the start of the intervention in September 2015 and February 2016, Russian air strikes killed at least 1,700 civilians, including more than 200 children.
The bombing was so brutal that until 2003, the UN still called Grozny the most devastated city on earth.
But what is important for Putin is that the war will be the first in a series of victories during his presidency – and he has not yet “lost” the conflict in which he participated.
– When it comes to waging war, he [Putin] “He has no sense of decency or concern about how many or who have been killed,” said former Secretary of State Cohen on Putin’s tactics.
However, the horrors of the Russian military machine did not reach its peak until the Syrian Civil War, which Russia joined in 2015 and was found to have committed UN war crimes.
Putin sided with President Bashar al-Assad following a request for air support.
But instead of fighting only Islamic State terrorists, Russian officials at the time said they would help the Syrian government reclaim territory from various anti-government and rebel groups.
Using the same scorched earth policy as in Chechnya to find and kill rebel groups, Putin’s forces launched a series of airstrikes and bombings that would have killed thousands.
Amnesty International and other human rights groups say Syria and Russia have targeted and destroyed several hospitals and schools.
One group found that between September 17 and October 13, 2015, 36 Russian strikes hit only two ISIS targets and 22 civilian targets, including hospitals, a fire station, and at least one school. 70 civilians were killed.
The UK-based pro-opposition Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said that between the start of the intervention in September 2015 and February 2016, Russian air strikes killed at least 1,700 civilians, including more than 200 children.
Ukraine is now the last country to face a Russian invading force – and the full cost of life and physical destruction will not be known for months.
Yesterday, during one of its strikes on Ukrainian targets, Russia struck the Babin Yar Holocaust Memorial in Kyiv, the site of one of the largest single massacres of Jews during the Holocaust.
The memorial was built next to the gorge, where nearly 34,000 Jews were killed by SS troops in two days in 1941 during Adolf Hitler’s campaign against the Soviet Union.
After the latest attack, Vladimir Zelensky wrote on Twitter: “To the world: what’s the point of saying ‘never again’ for 80 years if the world is silent when a bomb falls on the same spot on Babin Yar?” At least 5 killed. ‘
Similar to Putin’s use of tactics, Zelensky ended with a warning that “history repeats itself.”