In the interests of neutrality,

I covered the Neo-Nazi element in the Ukraine yesterday so today I will cover first hand witness accounts to the atrocities inflicted by Russian forces in said country.
Every day almost we take some food or clothing or both to two of the local community centers that house the new refugees. At first we just gave money but now understand what they need and what food they want/like.
This gives me the opportunity to speak to those that speak my lingo, English - which gives me an eye witness account of what these souls have seen.
Some look pale, shell-shocked and unwilling to talk. Others really need to speak and let it all out, so I listen, I make no attempt to interrupt, I just listen and offer a hug or two and some smiles at the end.

I spoke to a lady last night who had arrived the night before in the middle of the night, her name the best I could make out was dorota. Here is a segment of what she said, through teared eyes.

"I came from near Bucha, people were dead in the street, we had to drive around bodies of citizens that had been shot in the back and some were bound/tied by legs and hands.
I watched a mother and her children leave their house and get shot in the street, I knew I had to leave so I did.
Leaving was not easy, it is not leaving my home and things behind - it was the land mines in the road, there is no other way out but to drive over them slowly, two men stood in the road and pointed which way we go to miss them.
There are no police now, they burned their uniforms and abandoned us, they do not want to be found with one.

I have tidied up that from broken English to make it easier to read.
She told me a lot more but I shall save you from the gruesome details, trust me, you do not want to know, it made me feel sick and I have seen it all.

As I understand from other escapees - a word I prefer to refugee so from here on in it will be as such, the Russians have been raping the women when they retreat, a tactic the same forces used after WW2. They are also looting houses and taking anything of value including children's shoes and clothing.
I have this from these escapees knowledge, not from the MSM.

There are first hand accounts of mutilation, mass graves with only hands or feet showing above ground.
I for 1 do not believe for a second those in charge instructed these soldiers to commit the crimes they are committing, but I may well be wrong, time will tell.
As I understand they are filling up trucks with the looted goods and selling it in Belarus.

I can see the pain now, I could not before.

As we shopped Saturday I felt slightly annoyed due to the amount of people in the supermarket. While stood at the checkout someone drew my attention to them, it was a lady in the next queue only 1 meter or 3 feet from me, I had noticed her walking around us a few times before, looking lost, bewildered while pushing a pram with a baby inside.
She looked well kept, the pram was immaculate too - but something was not right.
She spoke for a second and I instantly recognized the accent as I have talked to so many escapees and then our eyes met - and I could almost feel her pain. I offered a sympathetic smile and somehow we held a 2 second gaze, my eyes to her eyes like we were both looking for something, trying to understand each other with our mind.
I have no idea what she had been through, her journey here, her fears for her future, her worry about a husband stuck inside unable to escape.
I did understand instantly how scared she felt, late 20's to early 30's and stuck in a country she did not want to be in, not knowing the language, taken in by a local family as the government here is no help. Her future uncertain and that of her child. Would she even have a home to go back to, a husband, or will it be rubble and a coffin.
There are so many smiles you can give, so many reassuring looks before your own eyes start to show the pain, the suffering and sad reflection of "is this as good as it gets in society?" War after war, have we not learned anything in the last few thousand years??????

Sure war has not touched the shores of many a western country for decades if ever. Sure most people can argue about a fake slap on some shitty awards show instead of thinking about real life, oh the luxury indeed.

1 thing is for certain and that is Putins petulant boy soldiers are out of con-trol, and he is to blame for letting them off the leash, but the west too must take some of the blame for ever expanding USA bases and NATO all around the globe, compare their amount of bases abroad to Russia, China and in fact every other Eastern country, add the lot up and compare.

Another thing this highlights is NATO is toothless and not fit for purpose.

I wish I did not have to see this every day, I suppose I could just ignore like most do, but I can't, it is not in me.

When all of this is over, some people as in Putin and his boy soldiers need to be held to account via the ICC/Hague, if they are not, then like NATO it needs scrapping
If these institutions are as toothless as they seem, then they deserve no funding and no recognition, nothing.

That is a s much as I want to say about this subject today.
I wrote this for balance, for perspective to show both sides of the argument, to try to remain impartial as best I could, if I have put too much emotion in, forgive me, I am only human after all.

If you think you have it bad, get angry about small things, feel sorry for yourself, spare a thought for others.

Have a superb day, we shall try.