Russian war crimes must be judged

Opinion editor's note: Editorials represent the opinions of the Star Tribune Editorial Board, which operates independently from the newsroom.

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Russia ended 2022 the way it began — with illegal, indiscriminate killing of Ukrainian civilians.

Or, put more plainly, war crimes.

After all, that's what the year-end barrage of missile and drone strikes on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities represents.

The Russian government, according to a statement from Ukraine's Defense Ministry, had been "saving one of the most massive missile attacks since the beginning of the full-scale invasion for the last days of the year." On New Year's Eve, Russia mercilessly pounded civilian targets in attacks that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called "inhuman."

The change in the calendar didn't lead to any relenting on Russian President Vladimir Putin's part. In his New Year's address, flanked by Russians in uniform, Putin promised to prosecute the war, which he disgracefully called "a sacred duty to our ancestors and descendants."

"In general, international law is clear: Intentionally targeting civilians as part of an armed conflict is a war crime," Daniel Balson, Amnesty International USA's advocacy director for Europe and Central Asia, told an editorial writer. And targeting civilian infrastructure is "a grave violation of international law, and in certain cases may constitute a war crime." Overall, Balson added, Russia's attacks have led to a "humanitarian catastrophe."

Ukraine has also deployed missile attacks. But it's done so in defense of its homeland, and targeted Russian forces, not civilians (as evidenced by the scores of Russian troops — many fresh conscripts rushed to the front lines by a desperate Kremlin — killed in an artillery attack in Russian-occupied Makiivka last weekend).

It's imperative not just for Ukraine but the world that Russian war crimes are not met with impunity. Moscow's military and political leaders — all the way up to Putin — must be held to account. Doing so will take political will and significant financial resources.

"The sheer scope and the scale of all the horror that's transpiring is almost unimaginable," Balson said.

But it must be imagined. And investigated, documented and organized into admissible evidence. International organizations like Amnesty International are up to the task but cannot do so without Western financial and political backing, which must be led by Washington. So it's particularly dangerous that far-right Republican representatives who have often castigated U.S. backing for Ukraine and even cast doubt on Zelenskyy — the most impressive and essential statesman on the world stage today — are being further empowered through the chaotic process of choosing the next House speaker.

A bipartisan cohort in Congress has admirably rallied behind Ukraine. They must continue to resist the irresponsible, irrepressible minority that threatens to jeopardize the unity necessary for Ukraine to prevail on the battlefield and the world to prevail in the search for justice.