Russian Rocket hitting Train Station was Marked "For the Children"

War, a staple activity of human history, is often filled with unspeakable acts and atrocities. In some cases the perpetrators have acted out of fear or ignorance. In others, as the recent revelations from Ukraine have shown, the barbaric acts of the Russians were deliberate, methodical, and intentional.

The photo above is the remains of an OTR-21 Tochka rocket used in the April 8, 2022 attack on the Kramatorsk rail station, where thousands of Ukrainians were waiting for an evacuation train, killing dozens and injuring many more, including children. It appears that children were its intended target, as it is marked ?"Za detei," meaning "for the children."

As happens in every single human catastrophe involving the Russians in Ukraine, the Russian High Command immediately issued a statement denying any responsibility. The fact that another missile was intercepted at the same time by Ukrainian air defenses seems to indicate the Russian denial does not hold water.

The Russians also denied the grim discoveries found after their troops withdrew from the suburb of Bucha. From the residents who survived the Russian occupation of Bucha, a pattern emerges . . .

Bucha: What Really Happened?

The Russian invasion started on February 24th, and Russian vehicles entered Bucha four days later, on the way to Kyiv. As many bridges were already blown leading into the capital, the Russians found themselves waylaid by the natural barrier formed by the Bucha River and a strong defense at a remaining bridge.

A Russian convoy attempting to pass through the town was mostly destroyed by Ukrainian artillery and drone attacks. The remaining force, whose vehicles were marked with a "Z," settled in place, mostly scavenging for food, and warning the locals to stay off of the streets.

A week later, however, according to the WSJ, another batch of vehicles started to arrive, but these were marked with the letter "V." Who these new troops were is unknown. Soon after their arrival, things started turning for the worse in Bucha.

It was cold, sometimes colder than normal. Utilities were cut and people needed to find wood for heating or cooking. Food supplies were running short and so was water. Some people needed medicine.

A command HQ was set. The Russians, without any further warnings, started shooting anyone on the streets. Russian units would go door-to-door, house-to-house. Sometimes it was to look for food. Other times they would trash the house, looking for valuables, electronic items, cell phones, and the like.

Then on March 10th, the Russians started to look for men in Bucha who possibly served in the Ukrainian army or territorial defense units. Ukrainian men would be ordered to strip in the cold and examined for any military-related tattoos. Some detainees would be shot on the spot, others taken away for questioning, never to return.

Russian radio transmissions monitored by the German Bundesnachrichtendienst (BND) or Federal Intelligence Service, overheard radio conversations detailing the execution of civilians or noting civilians should first be questioned, then shot. The questioning might involve torture. The BND concluded the Russians are engaged in an intentional terror strategy.

This same pattern is seen in other Ukrainian cities after the Russian army was pushed out. Homes are occupied. Drunk Russian soldiers brutalize women or shoot people in the legs. Men are be tied up, pulled out of their homes, accused of being a Nazi, and then shot.

This shameful, deviant behavior is not new for the Russian army. In World War Two, Stalin permitted the Red Army to engage in 100 days of rage, after his troops occupied a new area. How far they would go, depended on the good graces of the local commander.

In Ukraine, from the recent evidence at Bucha and other Ukrainian cities, the Russians have taken an anything-goes attitude. It's too systematic to be random. It's too barbaric not to be intentional, if not carefully planned at the highest levels. ■