Before I begin this rant, I want to make it clear that I believe that the Russian invasion of Ukraine violates existing all niceties of relationships between countries. I further believe that Putin and other Russian military and civilian leaders should be executed. And until that happens Russia should not be allowed to trade with or have relations with any country that believes themselves to be civilized. They should be expelled from the United Nations (not just the security council), the G-20 and all other international organizations. Other countries that have relations with Russia (especially regarding military hardware) should lose any favored standing with the United States Government. Are you listening India and Brazil?

But let's get real. War Crimes? Putin and other Russian military and civilian leaders do not recognize the sovereignty of any tribunal that would attempt to adjudicate them. If they don't recognize this sovereignty, any trial would not be more that a Kangaroo Court. No trial is deserved. While it might in some way satisfy our ideals of justice... it makes a mockery of our ideals of justice. Putin is only subject to the laws of Russia that can be enforced upon him. He is not subject to any international law or universal basic human rights or anything calling itself the International Court of Justice. Capture and hang the bastards.

And what about the soldiers and field grade officers who are carrying out these atrocities. Should they be tried for War Crimes? No! I can't imagine that any Russian soldier or field grade officer has any training or sufficient training in international military law to understand that other countries may consider the intentional bombing of civilian targets to be a war crime. Members of the Russian military (like the German army during the Nazi era) are trained to always follow orders, to never question orders, and never make a decision (that's what generals and politicians are for). They have no culpibility in terms of international law.

What the Russians are doing are certainly an outrage to our humanity. But isn't that what armies are supposed to be for. In the words of the late Rush Limbaugh the purpose of a military is to break things and hurt people. What they are doing is in reality no different that what all militaries did during World War II. The greatest civilian casualties occurred during United States bombings of Yokohama, Nagasaki, Hiroshima, Dresden and Hamburg. Yet War Crimes Trials were only held for German leaders. No British, Soviet nor American leaders were charged. No American military officers have even been tried by the ICJ for the killing of civilians and the targeting of non-military infrastructure in Vietnam, Iraq or Afghanistan.

There is no justice at a War Crimes Trial... only retribution and revenge.