Russia’s Grim Gaze on Gaza (2)

A Ceasefire, Another Crossfire, and a Continent under Fire

On the day Israel bowed to the global call for a ceasefire against Hamas in Gaza, Russia fired the largest salvos of drones into Ukraine’s densely populated capital city, Kyiv.

Israel commenced a 4-day ceasefire with Hamas on humanitarian grounds, to allow access to relief materials and for the transport of hostages held by Hamas to Israel. Israel had maintained that Hamas’ release of hostages was the only condition on which it could ceasefire. 

Israel freed more Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the released hostages. 

Though Russia was a loud, if not lead, voice in the vote for a ceasefire in Gaza, the country’s recent acts in Ukraine belie its newly earned pacifist credentials.

Also, Russia’s latest attack against Ukraine on Friday contradicts President Putin’s conciliatory tone while discussing Ukraine two days before. His words were termed the “most pacific comments” towards Ukraine since the beginning of the war.

Responding to his G20 colleague’s abhorrence of his country’s continued destruction of Ukraine in a meeting on Wednesday, President Putin verbally regretted the tragedy of the war he started.

“Some colleagues have already said in their speeches that they are shocked by the aggression, the ongoing aggression of Russia in Ukraine. Yes, of course, military actions are always a tragedy for specific people, specific families, and the whole country. And, of course, we must think about how to stop this tragedy.

“By the way, Russia has never refused peace negotiations with Ukraine. It is not Russia but Ukraine that has publicly announced that it is withdrawing from the negotiation process,” excerpts of a video of Putin’s remarks at the Virtual G20 Leaders Summit showed.

Russia’s President, Vladimir Putin, responding to G20 colleagues’ query of his government’s unrelenting aggression in Ukraine

What Putin did not say is that Ukraine’s diplomats refused to sit at the table with their Russian counterparts because “Vladimir Putin simply cannot be trusted to keep his word.” 

The Ukrainian Foreign Minister, Dmytro Kuleba, said, “Putin is a habitual liar who promised international leaders that he would not attack Ukraine days before his invasion in February 2022,” an Atlantic Council article noted.

While Putin’s government may be a verbal world peace advocate, Russia may lose its professed reputation for peace faster than it gained it if it does not match peaceful words with kind action. 

Russian Hostilities and the Kyiv Crossfire

Putin’s latest onslaught on neighbouring Ukraine is anything but kind. A BBC report called it the “biggest drone attack on Kyiv since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine began last year.

“Officials said more than 75 Iranian-made Shahed drones were fired at the capital – all but one were shot down. With Russia’s dwindling missile stocks, Shahed drones are seen as a cheap alternative. They are slower than ballistic missiles and have a distinctive wingspan.

“As ever, even if a missile or drone is intercepted, the falling debris can be lethal too.”

The latest Russian drone strike on Kyiv heavily damaged a kindergarten

Thankfully, no life has been lost in the crossfire between the Russian attack and the Ukranian defence missiles.

BBC reported that “there have been no reported deaths from this attack, but at least five people were injured, including an 11-year-old child”, and according to Kyiv’s mayor Vitaliy Klitschko, a kindergarten was among the buildings damaged.

Earlier, Dataphyte noted that “Casting a grim gaze over Gaza, over torn human nerves and tons of rubble, Russia, and indeed China, championed the humane cause to reclaim our sanity at a time when the world seems to have lost its soul. 

“Russia, China and 118 other countries voted for a United Nations resolution demanding Israel to stop the carnage that Hamas started”

UN Vote For Israel to Cease Retaliatory Attacks on Gaza

Yet, Russia is more defiant to the voices of 141 countries calling for peace in Ukraine than Israel’s defiance to the voices of 120 countries suing for peace in Gaza.

UN Vote for Russia to Cease its Invasion and Aggression against Ukraine

Besides, “Israel’s bombing of vulnerable people in health facilities still trails behind Russia’s violence against vulnerable people during its invasion of Ukraine,” Dataphyte noted

Dataphyte then exhorted that “Russia’s preachment for peace and global protests for mutual pity on hostages and displaced people in Gaza would yield more fruit if Russia immediately repents of its defiance of the global order to stop its costly show of might in Ukraine.

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