The Trauma Machinery of the War in the Ukraine

It is apparent that children and young people on both sides of the conflict are caught up in the trauma machine of the war. In the East, the war lies right outside the front door; young people are literally ‘con-front-ed’ with it in the truest sense of the word.  This is also true for young Russian soldiers.  From the outset of the so-called ‘anti-terrorism operation’ in April of 2014, the war has opened the depths of the human abyss. The rules of war as laid out in the Geneva Convention were not adequately communicated, observed, or controlled. These violations occurred not only on the part of ‘separatists’ and Russian units.
The result has been half a million refugees, tens of thousands dead, 30,000 wounded, including a large number of civilians, splinter bombs, starvation, torture, abductions, and yes, even child soldiers. Hatred has been well fed on both sides of this war, and has driven former best friends or even brothers and sisters into two almost unbridgeable camps. Meanwhile, the Ukraine lies trampled on the ground.
This is happening in a country almost twice the size of Germany, with immense potential and resources, with wondrous people, in Europe in the 21st century.
The population is at the mercy of the most powerful and merciless. It governs through the language of violence. Again, this is true not only on the part of the “separatists”. No, it also comes from the circles of the New Government; a Tyhanibok, who called for the struggle against the Jewish-Russian mafia; a Tymoshenko, who would rather throw an atomic bomb on the whole of Eastern Ukraine and shoot Putin himself in the head; a Yatsenyuk, who wanted set fire to the east, and many others with similar desires. It includes deputies who entertained their private armies and went to the Parliament in uniform from the battlefield, and Oleg Lyaschko, who likes to abuse traitors to the Fatherland in front of the camera.

‘NO WAR’. Image: Санкт-Петербург: несанкционированная антивоенная акция у Казанского собора via Voice of America.

On both sides (as well as in Russia) it requires great bravery and civil courage to demonstrate against this war. Such traitors to the fatherland can quickly land behind bars on both sides of the same fatherland, and in the war zone, they can easily be hit with a deadly bullet. To this end, the Ukrainian government has even created a legal basis, where the separatists have no laws at all.
The trauma of the Ukraine unloads into anger, hatred, and acceptance of violence against the other side, not only East versus West in its own country, but in general.
Minsk I and II have been able to contain the war. Immense financial support and democratic development programs are trying to get the Ukraine back on its feet.
The rules of the game are clear: mutual respect, freedom of opinion, freedom of the press, right of assembly, freedom from violence, free and independent elections, protection of minorities or, in case of war, the proportionality of violence.
In order to pacify the entire country, it is imperative that these basic rules are respected by all stakeholders.
Is it too late now? Yes, it is for one million and tens of thousands too late, but for 43 million it is time.