Ukraine War: India Needs To Use Stronger Words Against Russia
The India Commentary view
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By Our Editorial Team
First publised on 2022-04-04 04:43:16
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The India Commentary view
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India has been consistently abstaining whenever any resolution has been put up for voting at the UN on the ongoing war in Ukraine. India's stand was dictated by a host of factors, not the least being that it is the biggest importer of Russian weapons and historically, Russia has taken India's side on issues that affected the country. The West, while putting pressure on India to condemn the Russian invasion, also made it clear that it understood India's compulsions.
But the discovery of bodies of civilians, including women, and mass graves in Bucha town near Kyiv as Russian troops withdraw and Ukraine recaptures many areas, changes all this. The Russians had invaded Ukraine with the express purpose of 'disarming' the smaller nation in a bid to prevent it from joining Nato. But as in any war, when they faced resistance, their army has been indulging in war crimes. Killing of civilians is condemnable and cannot be condoned even as collateral damage. While India cannot align itself with the Western geopolitical view, it cannot also remain silent on the Russian excesses.
There could not have been any excuse for a war. Yet, the Russians gave many excuses but things did not go according to their plan. The 'disarming' exercise was supposed to be short and swift, targeting military installations and arms depots. Instead, it has become prolonged as Ukraine resisted strongly and civilians are being killed. Russia is being accused of genocide. India will now have to change its stand and even if it does not vote against Russia in the UN, it needs to strongly condemn the Russian action in killing civilians and hitting civilian targets. This is not the time to remain silent, not even to side with a friend.
