The conclusion of the study group Bellingcat that Russian mercenaries lead shelling of Ukrainian territory from residential areas of Donetsk and use the population as human shield, returning us to the tactics of the radical Palestinian movement Hamas. When the organization seized power in the Gaza strip, she began regular attacks on Israel from rocket launchers. At the same time — and this is a critical moment in the tactics of Hamas rocket launchers located in the midst of residential neighborhoods.
Hamas was important not so much to fire at Israel, as to cause a reaction, which can lead to the destruction and victims in these neighborhoods. Thus, Hamas has achieved several goals. Its missiles reached Israel, created the inhabitants of the Northern part of the country a sense of danger and argued the supporters of the movement, that only Hamas is actively fighting the enemies. At the same time it was possible to get impressive television picture of the suffering of the people of the Israeli “attacks” and keep an atmosphere of hatred among the population of the Gaza strip.
Thus, all the population regardless of their political views, relationship to Israel, Hamas and views on ways of settling the middle East conflict — have been held hostage by radical groups.
Vladimir Putin is one of the few politicians of the modern world, who does not hesitate to shake hands with leaders of Hamas. Immediately after the victory of the radical movement in the parliamentary elections in the Palestinian authority the President of Russia has declared readiness to remain in contact with them and invited representatives of Hamas to Moscow. Contacts of the Russian leadership with representatives of Hamas has not been interrupted and after the coup in Gaza and the formation on the territory of the unrecognized government of this group. Hamas representatives recently were honored guests at a meeting of the Palestinian factions in Moscow and talked warmly with one of his old partners — Minister of foreign Affairs of Russia Sergey Lavrov.
That Hamas and Russia use the same tactics, is not surprising. I would not even call this tactic to the invention the radicals of the Middle East. As you know, all the founders and inspirers of middle Eastern terror were trained in the Soviet Union, and their instructors were regular officers of the KGB — the Agency, which began his career of Vladimir Putin. So that tactic of using civilians as “human shield” is Palestinian, and the Kremlin invention. Not accidentally, the Russian President promised to put women and children ahead of his troops during the attack on Ukraine.
The use of “human shields” in Gaza and the Donbass, however, there is a noticeable difference. Residents of Gaza are not Israeli citizens and do not claim to citizenship. Their future is connected with the middle East conflict, they might become citizens of the new state or one of the neighboring Arab States. We can talk about trying to create a negative image of Israel beyond, but not about the internal destabilization of Israel.
In the case of Ukraine, it’s much more dangerous. Russian mercenaries and the military are covered by Ukrainian citizens. They were not even very important, is Ukraine’s response to the attacks or not. If necessary, they — as has happened many times — you can’t shell residential areas of Donetsk and other Ukrainian cities and blame the Armed forces of Ukraine. Putin and his puppets, it is important to sow in Ukraine an atmosphere of hatred. To force the Ukrainians to hate their fellow countrymen in the Donbass, and Donbass residents believe that Ukraine does not recognize them as its citizens and wishes them harm.
The best response to terrorists is not to become the victims of this vile propaganda, paid for in human lives. Ukrainians, residents of all regions of Ukraine have one common enemy — the Kremlin regime. And for the occupied regions of Donbas and Crimea — this enemy is even more dangerous than for residents of the rest of the country. Because this enemy turns them into hostages of their tasks and ambitions.
That is why all Ukrainians common goal — ending the occupation, the expulsion of the enemy from the Ukrainian land, the reintegration of the liberated territories. You can’t let the Kremlin always use innocent people as human shields.
