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I absolutely think what is happening in Ukraine is genocide perpetrated by the Russians. Even before Snyder’s irrefutable evidence and explanation of exactly why Russia’s war on Ukraine is genocide, I would have agreed that it is genocide from the little I’ve heard about what Putin said when he first ordered and talked about the attack on Ukraine. So yes, it is genocide, and seemingly a textbook definition of it.

The most convincing evidence for me was how Snyder explained how Russia’s invasion met every characteristic of genocide, only one of which you need to meet for it to be legally considered genocide giving specific examples: the bombings, missiles, executions, and death pits as evidence of “killing members of the group.” The systematic torture and torture chapers, the deportation, and bombings of hospitals and schools, as evidence of “causing serious bodily or mental harm to the group.” He discussed how “deliberately inflicting conditions on the group calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part” can be clearly seen in Russia’s destruction of whole cities and the campaign unfolding to deny Ukrainians water and electricity. How Russia is “imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group” via filtration camps, deportation camps, systematic, and the taking of fertile women and children from Ukraine to prevent the birth of Ukrainian babies. And finally, “forcibly transferring children of the group to another group” he said, can be seen in the kidnapping of Ukrainian children for their adoption by Russian families so they can be assimilated. The fact that he goes on further to prove that genocide was Russia’s intention was just to cover all his bases by then. One of these nine ways of thinking, that prove Putin's intention, that I found interesting was the “Replacement” theory, the idea that your race is going to be overwhelmed by another race or people, because of how directly that connects to the white supremacy we see in the U.S. and even to the documentary we watched on Charlottesville. The fact that Snyder gave an example of not only how this is reflected in Russia’s kidnapping of Ukrainian women and fertile children, but also in Russia’s choice of people to send to war: young men from Russia’s Indigenous populations, just sealed the deal for me that replacement theory is involved in the genocide of Ukrainians.

I think individually, we need to start by always referring to Russia’s war on Ukraine as a genocide and by educating anyone who disagrees or who doesn’t want to label it as such. Besides that, I think people should take advantage of whatever social media platforms they’re on to consistently remind people, even if they only do something small, of what’s going on. As a class, we could try to raise money via a bake sale or an event to send to aid Ukrainian soldiers and refugees, or possibly make an announcement about the genocide still going on in Ukraine during Human Rights Day. The rest of the war, not in this war, should condemn Russia more than they have been, mentioning by name that this is a genocide and treating it as such. Everyone should and needs to be against Russia in this war, and everyone should actively oppose its efforts to capture Ukraine and kill all its people.

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- There is no doubt that what is happening in Ukraine is legally genocide, and it's not like this fact is being hidden by the Russian government. Everything that has come out about the Russia-Ukraine situation is glaring proof of genocide.

- The most convincing and obvious evidence of this is;
- The quote from Russian television right at the beginning of the talk, outright stating that they would kill millions of Ukrainians and "kill them all," which is essentially just the definition of genocide. It's the way they can't and don't deny what it is they are trying to do that makes this all much more terrifying. They have been deliberately bombing hospitals, schools, and entire cities. There was also a quote from Putin, stating that they would "drown the children in the raging river" and "throw the children into burning wooden huts" and then the rest would be "executed by firing squad."
- The methods of cultural genocide - the mass deportation of Ukrainian citizens, the sexual assault of Ukrainian women by Russian soldiers, which lead the women to become so traumatized that they will not want to raise Ukrainian children, filtration camps and sending fertile women and children deep into Russia as to "prevent the birth of Ukrainian children, but allow the birth of Russian Children." Hundreds of thousands of children are taken away to be adopted into Russian homes (not unlike Indigenous children in America).
-  The way Russian propaganda and the government don't hide any of this from anyone, and in fact they boast openly about it. They continue to dehumanize Ukrainians, claiming that they are possessed by the devil and simply cannot be helped. The narcissism keeps them from ever believing that they could be the "villains" in this. They see this genocide as something that needs to be done and they are the ones who are going to do it.

- As for what we should do about this whole thing, well the first obvious thing is to not ignore that this is happening, and once we know it is happening, we can't just let ourselves forget about it as if it were a trend. There are actual human lives being taken away and we absolutely cannot remain ignorant to that. We certainly can't deny the Holocaust happened, so why can we deny that this is happening right in front of us?
Ending this genocide is obviously a lot easier said than done. Can't start any more conflicts and further risk the safety of Ukraine, and overthrowing Putin and getting a new leader is probably not a possibility considering just how much power and followers he has. The best we could possibly do from where we are is to educate ourselves, amplify the voices of Ukrainians, donate, and above all else, support and stand behind the victims.

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Do you think that what is happening in Ukraine IS genocide perpetrated by the Russians?

What is happening in Ukraine is definitely a genocide. Even what the Russian federation says about "obliterating them all" just shows that they are targeting all Ukrainians for just calling themselves "Ukrainian." On top of the continued violence imposed by Russia, Russia wants to strip Ukrainians from their independence and their identities by perpetuating the idea that they're "devils" and that they are mentally ill Russians that need to be cleansed... like what the heck. Why isn't this more reported as a genocide rather than a war? Until this assignment, I haven't been hearing anyone referring to the war as a genocide, which is strange to me.

What’s the evidence that Snyder cited that was most convincing for you?  (Feel free to bullet those examples.).  Cite at least 4 examples of evidence, including some from his nine classifications (which begins about 20 minutes into the talk).

- Filtration camps: crazy how the news is still afraid of calling the situation a genocide when there are literal concentration camps happening.
- Trying to get rid of future Ukrainian births by systematically letting Russian soldiers 🤬 Ukrainian women
- Bombings of hospitals and schools
- Wanting to get rid of Ukrainian's vital resources by denying food and water to Ukraine
- dehumanization of Ukrainians: calling them mentally ill, wanting to get rid of the elite in Ukrainian society, disrespecting Ukrainians in many ways, even through torture and murder, filtration camps, not seeing them as an independent nation, etc.
- Narcissism: Putin has been acting like how bullies do when they are insecure; they fight those who they see as lesser than to have more power/feel more respected/powerful. It's disgusting.

And then weigh in: what do you think we (individually) and we (the U.S. and the rest of the world not in this war) should do?

One thing we should do individually is spread the information about how the conflict with Russia and Ukraine is more than just a "land issue," and more of an insecure, twisted man's dream to stand on the obliterated bodies of dead Ukrainian children people. We could also donate to foundations that give funds to resources for Ukrainian refugees/citizens. As to what the U.S. and the rest of the world should do, I think they should try to restrict trade with Russia, though I don't think it would be that effective considering Russia's relationship with China. Another thing that could be done globally is send more resources to Ukraine whether it be food, water, weapons, or aiding in helping refugees get refuge.

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What is happening in Ukraine is a genocide. The combination of the actions and the intentions of Russia makes it very clear.

Russia’s efforts in the war are the most obvious piece of evidence for it being a genocide. Some of the legal criteria for genocide include killing members of the group or serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group. Russia has directed missiles at civilians, bombed hospitals and schools, and deported 4 million or 10% of all Ukrainians. They have also specifically targeted water and power supplies so that civilians cannot survive. By intentionally harming the innocent, Russia has made it clear that they are trying to kill or get rid of every single Ukrainian person.

Another one of the criteria for a genocide is imposing measures intended to prevent birth. Russia has done exactly that by screening for fertile women and children in Ukrainian filtration camps and deporting them throughout Russia so that they will be assimilated into Russian society and cannot form a Ukrainian community within Russia. They are trying to prevent anyone from identifying as Ukrainian in the future so that if they kill all the current Ukrainians, there will never be Ukrainian people ever again. This fits the common definition of genocide as well, where Russia is deliberately killing Ukrainians with the intent of destroying all Ukrainians.

I think, just as compelling as their actions are Russia’s intentions behind their actions. The quote that Snyder uses in the beginning of his talk, “We will kill one million. We will kill five million. We will obliterate them all.” being used on Russian state television demonstrates exactly what their intentions are. Russian propaganda has continuously dehumanized the Ukrainian people, saying that they don’t exist as a people, claiming that Ukrainians are merely Russians who are mentally ill or possessed by Satan and thus, need to be killed. This sort of propaganda was also very common during the Holocaust when Jewish people were constantly associated with Satan, just like the Ukrainians are now. To the Russians, this justifies the mass murder that is happening. The Ukrainians cannot be “saved” so they need to be destroyed. There is also this idea that Russia and Ukraine were united by God and baptized so anyone who opposes the unification of Russia and Ukraine must be tied to Satan.

Russia has taken an apologist viewpoint in which using their Memory Laws, they have made it very difficult to talk about Russia’s actions and allyship with Nazi Germany during World War II without being prosecuted. They have also taken down memorials to the Holodomor, a famine created by Stalin that killed millions of Ukrainians, claiming that it was actually just nature, not intention. In denying and ignoring the past, Russia essentially is paving the way for another genocide.

Individually, I think it is important for us to support Ukraine in any way possible. Whether that means spreading the word about what is happening to as many people as we can or donating. There isn’t much we as individuals can do, but when multiple people act, we can make a difference. The U.S. and the rest of the world also need to show their support for Ukraine. I think it’s important for us to keep all our citizens educated on what is going on. I did not know at all about some of the details of what has been happening until I listened to Snyder’s talk. The U.S. has simply forgotten about it. We can also help more directly by sending supplies to anyone who might need them, sending weapons or people to assist in the fighting, or accepting Ukrainian refugees that are fleeing the war. We cannot be bystanders and let this genocide continue to happen right in front of us.

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Do you think that what is happening in Ukraine is genocide perpetrated by the Russians?

What is happening in Ukraine is clearly a genocide, perpetrated by the Russians. Through the evidence stated by the Russian media, through corroboration with international law, and by comments and quotations from Putin himself, one can clearly see that genocide is being actively committed.

What’s the evidence that Snyder cited that was most convincing for you?

The evidence for Russia committing genocide unto the Ukrainian populous is clear. Snyder, in the beginning of his presentation, directly quotes the criteria of what constitutes a genocide from the 1948 genocide convention. A genocide is met if any, not necessarily all, of the following conditions are met killing members of a group, causing serious mental or bodily harm to members of the group, and deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about the group’s physical destruction in whole or in part. Snyder cites evidence that fulfills each of these criteria.

Some of the most striking examples presented were:

100,000 civilians were killed in the city of Mariupol alone

targeted killings of civilians who are regarded as being active in Ukranian civil society

filtration camps where men of a certain age are taken out and killed

Evidence of systematic torture and executions has been found, with death pits and torture chambers found across former Russian occupied regions of Ukraine.

Evidence of bombings of hospitals and clinics and schools

According to Russian statements, 4 million Ukrainians have been deported, which equates to 10% of the total population of Ukraine. This is clear evidence of ethnic cleansing

Russian propaganda boasts of their campaign to deny Ukrainians food, water and electricity over the winter, thereby eliminating essential conditions of life.

Russian soldiers have carried out systematic rapes within Ukraine. The intention being that, after the trauma of r*pe, Ukrainian women would no longer wish to raise children. Therefore, the intention of which would be to prevent births of Ukranian children.

Also, mid-way in his speech, Snyder, in an attempt to solve a pervasive problem in identifying whether or not genocide is being committed, provides nine criteria used to evaluate genocidal intention. Colonial, apologist, dehumanizing, narcissistic, escalatory, metaphysical, fascist, replacement, and exceptionalism. Synder goes on to explain each criterion in length, particularly convincing elements of his descriptions were quotations either from the Russian state media or Putin himself, clearly showing evidence of genocide. Two examples that stood out to me were:

Putin uses colonial language. For example, Putin claims that Russia exists as a state of nation, but that Ukraine doesn’t.

Strong evidence of dehumanization. For example, the Russians stated that they wished to wipe clear the top (elite) of Ukranian society, so that the remaining masses would assume themselves as part of the Russian federation.

Particularly powerful were the quotations made by Pavel Gubarev on the Russian state media (directly controlled by Putin, the president of the federation). “They should not exist at all. We should execute them by firing squad. We will kill 1 million. we will kill 5 million. we will obliterate them all. We will drown the children in the raging river. We will throw the children into burning wooden huts.” Synder also noticed the connection between what Russia is saying and doing to the Nazi methodology and their conduct of political control and genocidal methodology in WWII.

And then weigh in: what do you think we (individually) and we (meaning the U.S. and the rest of the world not in this war) should do?

Individually, our options are limited. As common members of the civilian body, we hold no power in government and thus can’t take executive action into our own hands. One could make the argument that actively protesting could lead to changes, but often protests do not lead to further government action. Individually, we should continue to donate to Ukrainian non-profits. Seeking to educate ourselves and move away from being a bystander is a necessity in times of calamity, as this assures the perpetrators cannot fulfill their horrific goals. As a nation, we should make efforts to educate the populous about what is happening and continue to provide media coverage of the war. Militaristically, we could even go one step further, and actively enforce a no-fly zone around Ukraine, preventing Russian aircraft from supplying their troops. The US could send more armaments, vehicles, and supplies to Ukraine, following in the example of our EU and NATO allies. This has its own risks, as historically American involvement in the re-establishment of a nation, especially militaristically, has only led to more issues and insurrection. One only has to look to the middle east to see this.  The options for what we as individuals can do, and for what we as a nation can do, are very limited. But we should continue to keep in mind that we cannot just be bystanders. Being a bystander in the midst of an overflow of evidence of genocide is unacceptable. Either we are on the side of the perpetrators, or we are on the side of the victims.

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Do you think that what is happening in Ukraine IS genocide perpetrated by the Russians?

Yes, easily, what's happening in Ukraine is genocide. I feel that many people that know about the issue, from news reporters to students and viewers, have slowed their conversations about what's happening. It's not being shown as much in the nightly news or in most of the sources I've seen recently. As I've said before, issues would come and go depending on what's "trending." Ukraine and other global issues are not trends, these are real people and we deserve to see what's happening there. Just because it's been a few months doesn't mean that it stopped.

What’s the evidence that Snyder cited that was most convincing for you?  (Feel free to bullet those examples.).  Cite at least 4 examples of evidence, including some from his nine classifications (which begins about 20 minutes into the talk).

Snyder's talk was well-spoken and I feel those who had the opportunity to listen to him live, truly understood what he was saying through how he most likely conducted himself during his presentation. During his talk, he mentions various definitions of genocide and how they parallel what has been happening in Ukraine. He defines genocide by the textbooks by saying that it needs to have the intent to essentially remove a group of people based on nationality, ethnicity, race, or religion. He says a quote from Russian State Television clearly shows their intention as they want to "obliterate them all." He also shows how people may feel overwhelmed with evidence of intent and so they up a standard for genocide, as they 'get used to' older information and want something with more shock factor. This was really convincing for me because I'd never heard what the Russian State Television had said but I've heard other quotes which make me believe that this is a genocide.

Over the summer, I was able to educate myself through the summer reading book We wish to inform you that tomorrow we will be killed with our families: stories from Rwanda" which talks about the Rwandan genocide. With Snyder's point and from the background information in this book, anyone can clearly see how this would classify as genocide.

Aside from his points of overwhelming audiences with the information, he explains his nine classifications. Specifically, his classification of apologism, dehumanizing, and metaphysical vocabulary stood out for me. He describes apologists as someone with an attitude towards a past event that can show how you intend to change the future. He shows Russia's outright disrespect to several Ukrainian issues such as the famine, which subconsciously demonstrates how Russia would view Ukraine in general. On this topic, Russia and Putin specifically do not acknowledge Ukraine as human. Putin has said that he doesn't believe they exist and refuse to believe that Ukraine is a country of power. Dehumanizing a country and essentially a group of people strips that group of any respect that could be given by Russia in this example. Additionally, Russians have completely taken away the Ukrainians' sense of nationalism. They deem them as mentally ill, highlighting metaphysical vocabulary. Ukrainians have been compared to Satan, in need of an exorcism as if they've some sort of evil power that needs to be rid of the world. Russians must think they're becoming some type of healer, placing themselves above the law. Naracistic.

Specific vocabulary can show anyone's intention behind something or someone's actions. The mere action of comparing Ukrainians to nothing should show that Russia doesn't believe they are worth any respect and that as a country, they can walk all over them.

And then weigh in: what do you think we (individually) and we (the U.S. and the rest of the world not in this war) should do?

I think honestly, the country needs to stop sugarcoating what's going on. We all have access to the internet and no matter how much it may have dropped in the news, someone is going to find a video and spread it, so better off making it a widely known event. This is one of the many massive events (in this case a mass genocide) where we have technology that can film these bombings, film day-to-day life in Ukraine, and other things that may be happening in the country. People need to recognize (like globally) that this is an issue and it's not just going to go away by ignoring it. Countries need to inform their people so we can do something together rather than individually. Raising money for families, spreading CONSTANT awareness (which I'd agree that many of us need to work on for all issues, not just this one), sending humanitarian supplies, protesting if possible, and dozens of other acts can help the people affected most. And if you can't do any of that, honestly just pray for them, point blank.

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Genocide is defined as the “deliberate killing of a large number of people from a particular nation or ethnic group with the aim of destroying in whole or part that national, ethnic, racial, or religious group”. What is happening in Ukraine is definitely genocide and it is most definitely perpetuated by the Russians. The Russian state federations said about Ukrainians that “they should not exist at all we should execute them by firing squad”.

The most convincing evidence Snyder cited is the legal definition and criteria for what should be defined as genocide because the genocide happening in Ukraine meets all the standards. To be a genocide you have to be “killing members of a group”(Snyder) the target killing of Ukrainians by the Russian army and the filtrations camps for Ukrainian men proves this. you have to be “causing serious bodily or mental harm to the members of the group”(Snyder), the torture chambers since 2014, the bombings of hospitals and schools and how that affects children and sick people, the deportation and displacement of Ukrainians which causes loss of identity. They have to be “Imposing measures intended to prevent birth”(Snyder). The systematic 🤬 of Ukrainian women by soldiers, the bombing of hospitals, and the filtrations camps. “We will drive the children into the raging river”(Russian Federation).  The fact that Putin said “they [Ukrainians] should not exist”(Snyder). The metaphysical belief that “Ukrainians are Russians who are mentally ill, and are possessed by Satan”(Snyder), is an excuse to continue killing them.

Individually I think we can post more about the genocide happening, I don’t see many people talking about it anymore, even on the news it makes it seem like the Russian invasion has stopped and there isn’t a genocide anymore. We could also donate to non-profit organizations in Ukraine that are helping Ukrainians deal with the devastating effects. The rest of the world should allow Ukrainian refugees into their country, and help Ukraine in the war, with arms and soldiers to push back the Russian soldiers. Finally, put it on mainstream news every week, and give updates so more people still know that the genocide is happening. Finally, we need to call it what it is “A Genocide Of Ukrainians”.

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I absolutely think that what is happening in the Ukraine is genocide perpetrated by the Russians. There is no denying this.

The evidence that made this the most obvious were the statements he read  that came from Russian television. "We will kill one million, we will kill five million, we will obliterate them all." It's not only the fact that the statements are about wiping out large numbers of people, but the way they talk about said people. They talk about killing them in the most inhumane ways. There are statements about throwing children into burning buildings, letting them burn alive.  This propoganda being spread by the government is dehumanizing this group of people, and is trying to spread the sentiment as far as they can.

On the topic of dehumanization, television is not the only way the Russian government does this. Putin, obviously, recognizes Russia as a very powerful nation. However there is a refusal from him in acknowledging the Ukraine as one as well. This just makes the not just the Ukraine but the Ukrainians seem far inferior to the world. By stripping them of their credibility and of their pride is another tool in committing genocide.

There is also a ton of blatant ignorance that is happening not just in Russia but worldwide. There is a refusal to acknowledge that events such as the Holocaust ever happened, and as Snyder says, that means that the perpetrators would like for it to happen again. We cannot move forwards with our lives knowing that such an event took place, but not doing anything with or about it. We cannot fix the damage that it caused, but we have the opportunity to prevent it going forwards. However that cannot happen if people wont acknowledge it, which is ultimately some people's goal.

There are other forms of propaganda being use to invalidate the Ukrainians. Word is spread throughout Russia that the Ukrainians are mentally ill Russians. That they can only be helped through means of violence. A justification for the killing of these people is that they are possessed by the devil. Their reasoning is "we try to help them but sometimes they cannot be helped." And that is how they disguise their genocide.

What we can do is fight back against this propaganda. We know what is actually happening, so we need to let others know as well. The more people who know, the less easily this genocide can take place. Snyder says that it's inevitable that one pick a side; the victim or the perpetrator. Anything other that protest is siding with the perpetrator. I don't know how one would go about dismantling years and years of this genocide, but it needs to happen. And I know that most Russians disagree with Putin, but he also has such a large following. One way to fix this might be to get someone else to lead, but that is also something much much easier said than done. For now we can mostly continue to donate, listen, and learn.

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What’s occurring in Ukraine is genocide. The Russians are attempting to expel the Ukrainians because over land accord disagreements. They wanted to exterminate the Ukranian population: deploying invasions, bombing campaigns, and missile attacks. There wasn't and isn't any regret for taking so many human lives. That is, in fact, how genocide is defined in textbooks.

Hearing some of the Russian people’s statements about what’s happening in Ukraine struck was the most persuasive pieces of evidence that Snyder provided. These citizens were criticized for their wrongdoing on numerous occasions because their thoughts are considered demeaning. They have ideas that originate from the outside, which makes them dangerous, according to a comment from Putin. This remark and others like it are startlingly reminiscent of what Hitler said about the Jewish community.

Narcissism shouldn't be promoted as it leads to dangerous, abusive outcomes- especially as one can start believing they are superior to others or that their nation as a whole is superior to others. How narcissistic Putin and his fellow Russians are truly astounds me because this entire atrocity is an enormous power play by Russia to demonstrate its prowess and enhance mining reserves in an effort to garner more respect.

Narcissism and the replacement theory resemble each other in several ways. This was not only a major concern for the Nazis and those who supported them because many modern white nationalists still have it. With their fear of their entire population being wiped out, these extremists often resort to violence and create false stereotypes in order to mask their consternation. This is an absolutely abhorrent perspective on other people, and it is by no means a justification for committing genocide.

The final and most surprising category would have to be the metaphysical explanations, because in this contemporary tale, Ukranian people were being compared to Satan. Allowing for Russian people to feel justified in suggesting and committing acts of violence against the country.

I believe there are many potential things we could accomplish, but as of today, there are few things we can do with absolute certainty. Making big judgments would be quite difficult given all of the alliances and united groups developed amongst nations. If we were to interfere with the nation in any way, we would be interfering not only with the Russians but also with their allies. Violence will start to spread all over the place as soon as we attack or initiate it. Being a spectator at this time is awful, but there aren't many other options. Right now, all we can do is raise awareness and do our best to stand behind the good guys.

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Yes, I think what is happening in Ukraine is genocide perpetrated by the Russians. In my mind, there is no doubt whatsoever after listening to Snyder’s talk.

The evidence that Snyder cited that was most convincing for me would most likely be the evidence taken from the 1948 Genocide Convention. He took quotes from law specifying the definition of genocide. He had stated that something only had to apply to one of the criteria to be counted as genocide, but in fact what is currently happening in Ukraine applies to all of them (killing members of the group, causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group, deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part, imposing measures intended to prevent birth within the group, and forcibly transferring children of the group to another group). Snyder also went into the specifics of how it applied to each criteria, most of which I hadn’t heard of because attention isn’t really brought to the crisis in Ukraine anymore.

Snyder had opened with a quote. “They should not exist at all. We should execute them by firing squad. We will kill 1 million, we will kill 5 million, we will obliterate them all.” I had thought this quote was from the Holocaust, but to think it was from the last few days, and on television, is jarring. There are many more quotes said similar to this and I think this shows more intent than anything, to kill Ukrainians because of who they are. However, there are still people who might disagree to try and avoid responsibility (of being bystanders) so Snyder devised 9 classifications he would choose to think about the language of the perpetrators and gauge if there really was intent or not (colonial, apologist, dehumanizing, narcissistic, escalatory, metaphysical, fascist, replaceable and exceptionalist). The quote aforementioned displays escalatory language, jumping from 1 million to 5 million to the entire population.

When Snyder talks about dehumanizing and escalatory language, he reveals the genocidal logic behind Russia’s actions. He says that Putin thinks Ukrainians don’t exist because the ones claiming to be Ukrainian are not actually Ukrainian. They have no ties to the land and they misunderstand themselves. Russia’s plan from the beginning was to get rid of the “Ukrainian elite”, the ones assumed to be running everything. Soon thereafter everyone else would “realize” they’re Russian. However, it wasn’t enough.

They further “justify” their claims by saying that Ukrainians are not Ukrainians because they received international help, therefore are agents of international power. So to them, it is not enough just to kill the elites, they need to kill more Ukrainians. The more that claim they are Ukrainian, the more to kill. Now this, surely, is enough to prove intent.

But there is more. Snyder mentions the metaphysical, religion, and how that plays into the intent of the Russians. Similarly to how Germany viewed the Jews, Russia sees Ukrainians as mentally ill Russians. So, if they fail to exorcize the devil, they must simply kill them.

Russia sees itself as the only country which is not soiled, the innocent, a millennial civilization. Rules don’t apply to them, as their mission to to bring the world back to a sense of totality. This kind of language is an example of fascism, narcissism and exceptionalism. The belief that Russia alone is the exception.

I think the first issue is people refusing to acknowledge what is going on in Ukraine. Many would heavily disagree with the fact that a genocide is happening right now, because they don’t want to call themselves bystanders. I think individually we should all strive to learn more about what is happening and spread the information, because it is not reaching as many people as it should. We as a nation should acknowledge that this is a genocide and help the Ukrainians in any way we can, offering any resources possible.

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There is no question that what’s currently happening in Ukraine is a genocide. Snyder brings a new point of view of how genocide is thought about now in society and also an abundance of evidence I have never heard of before. The way that he described all of this is, the way I’d phrase it in my mind. A genocide is the targeted killing of people in a specific groups. That’s exactly what Russia is doing right now. They are killing Ukrainians for the purpose of killing them, for removing they national identity, and to impose a “Russian” identity on them. Snyder describes that there is such an abundance of evidence towards this genocide that the standards of how society views this changes. This is something that I’ve never heard of, but I definitely agree.

The most overwhelming data that there was for this, was what the Russian state TV said. Stuff along the lines of Ukrainians shouldn’t exist, the Russians should obliterate all the Ukrainians, and they should drown the Ukrainian children rings clear in my mind the mentality that the Russians have going into this war. The Russians also sending Ukrainian women far into Russia is very convincing. I interpret this as a deliberate strategy of the Russians, to once again remove the identity of the Ukrainian people. By forcing women to live in Russia, and “be Russian”, there is no room for a “Ukrainian national identity” left. This leads to how Russia recognizes itself as a state of nation, but not Ukraine. By deliberately ignoring that Ukraine is an independent nation, the Russian government is always under the impression that Ukrainian are Russians. But this is completely false. The ideology behind this causes the reason for genocide, in my opinion. The Russians, besides simply killing Ukrainians, have also taken down their power supply, and ruined well-known monuments of Holodomor. Taking down the power supply is essentially indirect murder, electricity is used in many parts of life, and without it, living becomes much more difficult. Additionally, taking down the Holodomor monument, once against shows that the Russians don’t care about the identity of the Ukrainian people.

I think as people individually, we should be doing more. Specifically doing more activism and education, and less performative activism. Performative activism only extends so far. Donations can be made, donating blood, and starting drives in communities. Being an educated citizen of the world is the least we could do. Seeing this war as a genocide can be the first step. As for the US and for other nations, we should first recognize this tragedy. There really is no question that this event is a genocide. Nations should make sure they are spreading the correct information to their citizens too.

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Listening to Snyder, it seems practically impossible to claim that what's going on in Ukraine is anything other than a genocide. I think a lot of the time when people hear about "the war in Ukraine" they just think of it as two sides fighting, something than they can ignore, the same way they ignore every other war which happens in the modern world. As Snyder repeatedly brings up, the idea that "we don't see anything wrong with it, and we're the type of people who would care" is specifically the type of logic designed to allow Russia to continue its wave of murder against the Ukrainian people.

There were several major points which convinced me:
- The fact that Russia is spreading propaganda that Ukrainians "don't know who they are" or that they're just "Russians who are mentally ill", as well as the argument that Ukrainians are somehow possessed by Satan. The completely absurd nature of the claim that their killing it somehow justified because this culturally different group of people who live in a different country and speak a different language are part of Russia sounds like it can't really be anything other than a desperate way of justifying a genocide.
- The fact that a major goal throughout the war for Russians has been to prevent more births of Ukrainians, and the positively horrifying fact that Russia seems to be encouraging mass 🤬 by saying that it will discourage Ukrainian women from having children. When Snyder talks about how deliberately preventing people from a certain group from being born, I can't imagine anything which could fit the definition more literally than this.
- The fact that Russia is deliberately scattering the Ukrainians throughout Russia to prevent a Ukrainian sense of identity from forming ever again. If Ukraine truly was just a part of Russia, then this would be completely unnecessary, but as I'm sure is obvious to all of us by now that's a completely made up excuse for the war. This is an action which is clearly for the explicit purpose of wiping out a cultural identity and, thus, wiping out the Ukrainian people as a whole.
- The quote "We will kill one million, we will kill five million, we will obliterate them all. We will drive the children into the raging river, we will throw the children into burning huts. They should not exist at all, we should execute them by firing squad" was probably the most shocking part of the entire talk for me. Hearing this, it seems like something taken directly out of the Holocaust, or the Rwandan genocide, or any of the other genocides which we as a country have no issue classifying as genocides now that they're over. This is clearly describing ethnic cleansing, and anyone who still refuses to believe that the conflict in Ukraine is a genocide after hearing this is deliberately covering their ears and preventing themselves from hearing the difficult truth.

I don't really think it's difficult to say what the rest of the world outside of the war should do. Ukraine needs to be supported and Russia needs to stop being supported. Snyder points out that Russia expected this to be an easy attack which would last three days, after which the Russians could declare victory and assert that Ukraine is a part of Russia. It's proven to be much more difficult than they imagined, and that should give us hope that there's still a possibility for a Ukrainian victory as long as other nations start supporting it. A much more difficult question is that over what we should do as individuals. We don't have the same power that large countries have, and we individually can't send soldiers or just go over and stop the war ourselves. I think one of the best moves for individuals, when they can't actively aid the war effort, is to continue to promote the idea that this is, in fact, a genocide. The easiest way for the rest of the world to ignore Ukraine, as Snyder brings up again and again in his speech, is for them to just act like this isn't a genocide, and we need to make it as difficult as possible for that to happen. If we keep describing this as a genocide and explaining why it's a genocide, the plight of Ukraine will be much more difficult to neglect on a global scale.

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Of course what is happening in Russia is genocide. There isn't really a question about it because as Snyder said it checks off multiple definitions of the word. But what really stood out to me is that a lot of people will try and undermine this or dumb it down because it “doesn't feel” like a genocide. That is ridiculous to say because millions of people are being killed and you don't see it doesn't mean it isn't happening. Just like a tree falling in the woods when nobody is there, it happened even if nobody saw it. Snyder confirms that it is in fact a genocide because the Russians are targeting one group of people and killing them based on who they are which is genocide. The Russians are taking the fertile woman and young children and deporting them to Russia so they will reproduce with Russians instead of Ukrainians which is genocide. They are creating filtration camps where they are physically harming Ukrainians by either killing or raping them which is genocide. The Russian elites in charge of starting the war truly believe that the Ukrainians shouldn't exist and compare them to Satanists and that they have no value. All of these incidents going on in Ukraine fit the definition of genocide according to Snyder. The fact that a majority of the world is “ok” with this or doesn't know that this is happening just because they can't see it isn't acceptable. As a country we should intervene and we are but not fully. The only reason Putin did this now is because he sees that America has a weak leader in Biden and that he will not do anything drastic to stop this. So he sees no threat or disadvantages to doing this because he knows that the 2 biggest world powers won't do anything about it. China won't do anything because they are on his side and America won't because Biden is a weak leader and scared of Putin. Pumping fifty three billion dollars into this is an interesting way of intervening, but honestly what more is there to do unless we send troops there which honestly wouldn't be a good idea because that will open a whole other can of worms that we are not ready for as a nation and matter of fact the world isn't ready for.

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Yes, there is a genocide happening in Ukraine. There is no evidence that can convince me that there is not one. In the 53-minute recording, Timothy Snyder describes numerous reasons why what is happening to the Ukrainians are a genocide. Evidence that stuck the most with me were the legal meaning of genocide, specifically the harming of members in one group and the prevention of future Ukrainian families, the metaphysical intent, and the replacement theory intent.

Legal meaning of genocide:

harming of members in one group:

This definition of genocide is one of the more popular definitions out of the whole list. Snyder mentions the filtration camps and torture chambers. The torture chambers are a regular regime in Russia, but it is more frequently used in areas of Ukraine. Executions of men over a certain age occur in the filtration camps. Water and electricity are denied to further prevent the Ukrainians from living healthily, often putting them at the brink of death.

eradication of future families:

As we discussed in class about the genocide of Indigenous people, the mention of cutting off the family bloodline was present. Similarly, the Ukrainians are deliberately being prevented from having children, which stops their ancestry from going further. The whole reason behind the raping of Ukrainian women is to traumatize them enough to stop them from having children. Even if they do have children, they are being sent to Russia to be adopted by a Russian family. By doing so, there will be an almost nonexistent community for the Ukrainians.

metaphysical intent:

It is said by Russians that Ukrainians are Russians who are mentally ill and they can only be cured by violence. Another excuse for the genocide would be that the Ukrainians are possessed by Satan. Russia can try to “exorcise” them, but if they fail, they must kill them. The perpetrators cannot be seen as wrong because “at least they are trying to heal the world.” (Rolling my eyes as I type) Russia has eternal purity, while Ukraine does not.

replacement theory:

Timothy Snyder states that the Russians are afraid of being outnumbered by non-Russian people. This explains why they send non-Russian men to go to war and why they have Ukrainian children moved to Russia. The non-Russians can die in war while the Russians can stay home, be safe, and keep the population increasing. The children are forced to assimilate, thus eliminating more of the enemy.

Individually, I think we should start sharing more information to people who are not as knowledgeable about this topic. News of what is happening in Ukraine is no longer seen as a big subject anymore in the media, and that is the problem. People who do not care to research more about it will assume that the war in Ukraine is over but it is not. This is why it is important to research, keep up to date, and share information regarding Ukraine and Russia. The rest of the world who are not in this war should provide aid for refugees. We should donate what we can to charities that help with the Ukranians, whether it be money or supplies.

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-Is hard to say whether or not the events in Ukraine are genocide by the vernacular definition, as it’s pointless to try to assign a specific number of people that have to die in order for it to be classified as one. By the legal definition, though, it definitely is a genocide. Snyder also brings up the fact that, in the moment, genocides never feel like genocides, so it’s important for me to acknowledge that I have a very limited scope of what’s going on.
-Snyder makes many connections between the genocide in Ukraine to the holocaust. He talks about how Russian propaganda claimed that Ukrainians were possessed by Satan, and thus their cleansing of the population is justified. This is very similar to how the Nazis used eugenics and other racist theories to justify their genocide. In both these examples, the perpetrators are dehumanizing the victims so they can have a reason to kill. Secondly, Snyder claims that one characteristic of genocide is that they’re often meant to prevent birth of the population. Similar to the Nazi concentration camps, the Russians also have camps of their own. They have also been scattering fertile women and children in order to prevent Ukrainian births and promote Russian ones. The third, and most obvious, piece of evidence are the deaths, displacement, and bodily harm caused. Snyder says that 4 million Ukrainians, or 10% of the country’s population, have been either forced to leave or sent to Russia. On top of this, there are also thousands of deaths caused by plane bombings, death pits, executions, targeting killings of politically active people, etc. There have also been mentions of torture chambers and even bombings of hospitals and schools, which would cause major mental and physical harm to the victims.

One of the claims I find most interesting is that Russia’s genocide is partially fueled by a narcissism for the country’s identity. Snyder says that, by having a common enemy, the country is able to build up their own identity. It sounds like a pretty nationalist approach–having to think poorly of other countries in order to uplift your own.

-I’m not too sure if there is anything the U.S. can do. First of all, the U.S. is tied to NATO and the Russians have their allies too, so any instigation would likely cause a really large scale conflict. I also believe there are some pretty major threats regarding nuclear war if the U.S. were to engage. I think the most we can do individually is just donate and stare aware of these events. Snyder claims that once you see what’s happening, you can only be on the side of the perpetrator or the victim, and if you remain silent, you’re on the side of the former. But it sucks, especially being kids during these times and knowing that there’s pretty much nothing you can do.

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Yes I think that what is happening in Ukraine is genocide. Even just the quote that Snyder keeps repeating throughout the talk is quite compelling. Snyder’s talk brought up so many points that I didn’t even consider before, but now that I’ve heard them, they are really impactful and are changing how I’ve been thinking about the war. For example, his point about how many don’t really consider this a  genocide because we have too much evidence and that leads to us raising the “standards” for what a genocide is was particularly eye opening.

I think the most convincing evidence is:

calculated destruction: Snyder repeats that Russia has been cutting off Ukrainian water (tying into the apologist point) and blaming it on how it’s just nature. There is also targeted bombings of hospitals and schools, filtration camps, etc. which are all  examples of calculated destruction. This, in addition to the lack of remorse while doing all of this convinces me even further that this is a genocide.

preventing births: by taking all of the fertile Ukrainian women and bringing them to Russia, Russia effectively would prevent more Ukrainians from being born. And I think they could also just spin this into the point that “it’s just nature” that it happened, even when they orchestrated it.

dehumanization: The parallels to Nazi ideology during the Holocaust are horrible to see. But I think that it unfortunately emphasizes that this is a genocide. I think that if you didn’t think this was a genocide, if you saw these parallels you would start to think that it is one. Maybe not to the same magnitude but it is still one.

Russia’s exceptions: Russia paints itself as the good guys, saying that Ukrainians don’t belong to the land and they’re just crazy because they don’t believe that they are Russians. By doing this, they allow themselves to justify what they are doing on the account that they’re helping to “fix” their world. And this sounds completely crazy if you put it into context (like how is bombing a hospital a good thing).

I think that we need to actually recognize this genocide at the bare minimum. I am not completely sure what I as an individual could do, probably keep myself and others educated about what is really going on. I think there needs to be more support for the refugees, like finding them a safe place to be, supporting them, etc.

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Yes, what is happening in Ukraine is without a doubt genocide. 1. It is crazy to think that we have to think about what is and isn't a genocide 2. my definition of genocide is did a group of people target and harm another group of people because of an identity that they can't control. In the case of Ukraine  this is definitely true. The more boiled down version is that Ukrainians can't help the fact that they Ukrainian  and Russians are killing them because of their ethnicity.
What’s the evidence that Snyder cited that was most convincing for you?

Narcasism

the person described it as the Russians not being who they are without the Ukrainians. Almost as if they are trying to prove that they are Russian by killing off the Ukrainians. The Russians don't know who they are and define themselves through  killing Ukrainians

Escalatory

This person also described this as Ukrainians  are Russians with mental illness . They don't know that they are Russian and it is their job to tell them that they are and if they don't comply violence needs to ensue. The irony of this situation is appalling  they claim  that the Ukrainians  have mental illness. Putin claims that Ukraine and Russia are united under God and who ever goes against that is on the other side. The most ironic part about it is the fact that Russians aren't known to go to church Ukrainians are.

Facist

This is the belief  the whole world is spoiled and the only way that it can be fixed is by bringing the world to totality and Russian is the only unspoiled country. They believe that no matter what  Russia does its excusable because  they are on a mission where they are trying to fix the world so everything they do including genocide is excusable and with  this belief Russia is always innocent but accuracy is not synonymous

Acceptionalist

the rules don't apply to Russia because who made the rules anyways? The rules don't apply to them because they are a millennial  civilization and so they are exempt.

To elaborate more on each of the named classification’s and its connection reading this from an outsiders point of view is such a surreal experience. There are people dying and the thing some people are most worried about is if it is considered a genocide like the evidence isn't written in big and bold letters. The delusion of these justifications in connection to Russia is unbelievable. These killings were without a doubt intentional no matter which way you look at it.

And then weigh in: what do you think we (individually) and we (the U.S. and the rest of the world not in this war) should do?

There isn't a lot we can do individually but spread as much awareness as possible through any means necessary. As for what the country and the rest of the world can do opens up a lot of interesting points like how, in theory, all these countries have to do is help right? No. it creates a chain of reactions that they would have to in a way predict. The US more specifically has to think about their people and their safety, I'm assuming, above all else. If interacting with a situation like this can bring about harm to Americans  I'm assuming there isn't much to be done. There are ways around which we can help by loans, weapons etc. Also we have to think about how our involvement with help or hinder our relations with any country involved. Going off of morals helping Ukraine would be the most logical thing to do but there are many layers to situations like this and sometimes the most that can be done is to support from a distance. As for the rest of the world there needs to me extra precautions made because a world war is a possibility.

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Nigel Bartlett: Is genocide happening in Ukraine?

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Nigel Bartlett: Is genocide happening in Ukraine?

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- I would have to agree that what is happening in Ukraine should be considered a genocide. The Russians were upset at ukraine over land agreements, so they decided to try to get rid of the ukranians. They used war tactics bombs, missiles, and invasions to kill as many of them as they could. There was, and still is, no remorse for human life. That is quite literally a textbook definition for genocide.

- I think one of the most convincing pieces of evidence/classifications was hearing some of the things that russians would say about their feelings and what they were doing to ukraine. This would be considered dehumanizing, and the russians were called out for doing it, multiple times. One quote by Putin was that "they have ideas that come from the outside that makes them dangerous”. This quote and these comments are frighteningly similar to those of Hitlers, when he was talking about the jewish population.
- Narcissism would have to take second place. Narcissism should not be encouraged, and can easily result in a turn of events. Having the belief that you are better than someone, or your whole country is better than another country, is very damaging to both parties. It blows my mind how narcissistic Putin and his fellow russians are. This whole genocide is just one big power move so that russia can try to show off its skill and expand ore so it can gain more respect.
- The replacement theory kind of goes hand and hand with narcissism. I think that believing in te replacement theory is so strange and cowardly. This was not only a huge fear that the nazis and it supporters had, but its also a common fear for many white-supremacists today. These people are scared of an entire population wiping out their population, so they result in violence and untrue stereotypes to help boost their egos. This is a truly horrible outlook on other people, and definitely 100% not a justifiable reason for commiting a genocide.
- the last very shocking classification would have to be the metaphysical reasons. This topic also goes hand-in-hand with dehumanizing. and narcissism. The ukranians were being compared to satan in this modern story.  This dehumanization would then lead to any russian believing it was okay to insinuate violence on the town.

- I think that there is a lot of possibility for things we could possibly do, but as of right now there is not much we can totally confidentally do. With all of the allies and united groups formed between country and country, making bold decisions would be extremely difficult. If we were to do anything to the country, we would not only be messing with the russians, but also with their allies. Once we attack or start violence, then the violence will begin to break out absolutely everywhere. It sucks to be a bystander right now, but there is geuinely not a ton of options. What we can do right now is spread awareness and try our best to support the good guys. We just have to be very careful in what we do.

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Nigel Bartlett: Is genocide happening in Ukraine?

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Nigel Bartlett: Is genocide happening in Ukraine?

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- I would have to agree that what is happening in Ukraine should be considered a genocide. The Russians were upset at ukraine over land agreements, so they decided to try to get rid of the ukranians. They used war tactics bombs, missiles, and invasions to kill as many of them as they could. There was, and still is, no remorse for human life. That is quite literally a textbook definition for genocide.

- I think one of the most convincing pieces of evidence/classifications was hearing some of the things that russians would say about their feelings and what they were doing to ukraine. This would be considered dehumanizing, and the russians were called out for doing it, multiple times. One quote by Putin was that "they have ideas that come from the outside that makes them dangerous”. This quote and these comments are frighteningly similar to those of Hitlers, when he was talking about the jewish population.
- Narcissism would have to take second place. Narcissism should not be encouraged, and can easily result in a turn of events. Having the belief that you are better than someone, or your whole country is better than another country, is very damaging to both parties. It blows my mind how narcissistic Putin and his fellow russians are. This whole genocide is just one big power move so that russia can try to show off its skill and expand ore so it can gain more respect.
- The replacement theory kind of goes hand and hand with narcissism. I think that believing in te replacement theory is so strange and cowardly. This was not only a huge fear that the nazis and it supporters had, but its also a common fear for many white-supremacists today. These people are scared of an entire population wiping out their population, so they result in violence and untrue stereotypes to help boost their egos. This is a truly horrible outlook on other people, and definitely 100% not a justifiable reason for commiting a genocide.
- the last very shocking classification would have to be the metaphysical reasons. This topic also goes hand-in-hand with dehumanizing. and narcissism. The ukranians were being compared to satan in this modern story.  This dehumanization would then lead to any russian believing it was okay to insinuate violence on the town.

- I think that there is a lot of possibility for things we could possibly do, but as of right now there is not much we can totally confidentally do. With all of the allies and united groups formed between country and country, making bold decisions would be extremely difficult. If we were to do anything to the country, we would not only be messing with the russians, but also with their allies. Once we attack or start violence, then the violence will begin to break out absolutely everywhere. It sucks to be a bystander right now, but there is geuinely not a ton of options. What we can do right now is spread awareness and try our best to support the good guys. We just have to be very careful in what we do.

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I feel confident that what is happening in Ukraine should be considered a genocide perpetrated by the Russians. Prior to fully listening to his speech, there exist certain objections that could undermine the possibility of this war truly being dubbed a genocide. However, upon his definition of what a genocide precisely is, there really is no sincere argument for the belief that it should not be considered a genocide. Society often confuses the vernacular and legal definition of genocide. Regarding the vernacular definition, genocide comes to mean termination of every single person within a certain group. In reality, this is not a possible outcome. Even when discussing the Holocaust—the most evident instance of genocide—Jewish people still remained. The legal—more accurate—definition of genocide falls under a variety of categories. To begin, simply “killing members of the group” and “deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life, calculated to bring about its physical destruction” concerns a possibility of genocide. Per Snyder, this can be seen through intentional drone strikes, bombings, missiles, executions, death pits, targeted killings, and filtration camps, all of which are aimed at eliminating the Ukrainian population. Following this, any practice “causing serious bodily or mentally harm to members of the group” falls under the legal definition of genocide. Systematic torture, bombings of hospitals/buildings/schools, and deportations all constitute this category. As a result, nearly 4 million (10% of total population) are dead. Continuing on with the classifications of genocide, “imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group” and “forcibly transferring children of the group to another group” are yet another example of efforts towards achieving genocide. A recurring theme of r*pe amongst Ukrainian women by Russian soldiers discourages them from bearing future children. In addition, Russia has been sending fertile women and children to Russia in order to prevent the birth of Ukrainian children but allow the birth of Russian children. This is a prime example of Russian soldiers tearing families apart through kidnaps—of which they boast about. When discussing genocide, only one of these requirements need to transpire in order for it to be considered a genocide. Regarding the current war between Russia and Ukraine, all of these requirements are being met. Probably the most inexcusable and convincing piece of evidence was simply the repeated quote of “they should not exist at all. We should execute them by firing squad. We will kill 1 million, we will kill 5 million, we will obliterate them all. We will drive the children into the raging river, we will throw the children into burning wooden huts”.

Individually, I feel as though there isn’t much for us to do to make an active presence in the fight for peace. However, I believe it should fall on everyone’s responsibility to spread the message. In addition to this, funding support organizations and simply siding with the Ukrainians and exiting the realm of becoming a bystander is a step in the right direction. By doing so, society can form their own opinions on the situation at hand and hopefully band together to make an impact. Fortunately, this has been practiced at a high level so far, as we see celebrities donating to the cause are raising awareness. In order to effectively make a difference and achieve true peace, this needs to be continued at a high level. It won’t be until then that the world can fight with the Ukrainians and solve this ongoing issue.

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What is happening in Ukraine, in my opinion, is most definitely genocide perpetrated by the Russians. There is so much evidence of Genocide from acts defined by the government/law as well as purely immoral actions, many of which mirror the atrocities of the Holocaust, an infamous genocide. Some of the evidence I found compelling were:
- The intentional killing and harm of Ukrainians: this includes, bombings, drones, missiles, executions, death pits, filtration camps, even torture chambers - all of which are clearly to kill as many people as possible. Keep in mind that these were more often than not done to normal civilians or people who were politically active - neither of whom did anything wrong. It disgusts me that all of this was happening so far into the modern day.
- Trying to destroy the Ukrainian population/nationality not through direct death: This is reffering to fertile women (they were screened for fertility) and children who were literally kidnapped and dispersed around Russia in an effort to wipe out Ukrainians and only have Russians
- Metaphysical language: Russia based their relationship with Ukraine based on a religious event that happened long long ago, but now that they don't like Ukraine anymore, have started to say Ukrainians are Russians who are mentally ill or possessed by satan.
- Exeptionalism: Connecting back to Narcissistic as well, this speech has a lot of mention of how Russia denyed the existence of Ukraine, or did not like her, and how they simply believe they are above everyone else, and with that opens doors to immoral events
I think one of the best (and most feasible) things we could do is to spread this and raise awareness. I undesrtand it can be very difficult to donate money or something with the monetary value of Boston. I also think at a federal level as well we need to provide funding to the war or shelter refugees. And whenever possible, independent or in a group, we need to make eyecontact!
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I think that what is happening in Ukraine is Genocide and I agree with his point that it is difficult for us to admit it because it would make us bystanders to these horrific crimes. It is also hard for people to prove intention since it is argued that there is no order or piece of paper that proves that this was his goal. Despite this, Putin is refusing to recognize Ukrainians as their own people and is waging war on their people in order to wipe them out by causing them physical and even mental harm, and trying to limit population growth by scaring women into not having children. According to Snyder, these qualities are part of what makes it a genocide. On Russian state television (which is directly controlled by the government aka Putin), they literally said they are going to execute them all, and horrific things about children being killed. How is that not enough evidence to show people this is genocide? He is also trying to prevent the spread of Ukrainian culture and to stifle it completely by forcing Russian culture on them which is a form of cultural genocide.
It is difficult to know what the United States could do to intervene in this horrible situation especially since I can't fully comprehend the political and economic factors that might play into what is going on. I do know that it is important that we keep informed on the situation and inform others. This alone doesn't really do much but there are people who could help and by bringing light to the situation, the government might be forced to address it and intervene. We probably could support more than we are now by letting more refugees in and supporting the Ukrainian's fleeing but from a war standpoint Im not sure what more the US could do.

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I strongly believe that what is happening in Ukraine IS genocide perpetrated by the Russians. Plain and simple. In hindsight, the initial unprovoked invasion of Ukraine was inevitable. It was simply the next phase in a poorly orchestrated attempt to reignite the old flames of the Soviet Union. The cruel reality of genocide is that in the eye of the aggressor, blood shed is far more valuable than land gained. The carnage will not stop until Putin is put to an end. Unfortunately, the likeliness of change to come within the Russian autocratic regime is less than plausible.

The four most compelling examples from Snyder’s nine examples that resonated with me were dehumanizing language, the replacement theory, narcissism, and colonialism. I find personally that colonialism can perhaps serve as an umbrella term for the other eight examples, for they stem from the initial conquests and occupations of lands and people by a powerful group. Narcissism can easily be defined as the excessive interest in or admiration of oneself and one’s physical appearance. Already one can easily identify the foundations for modern fascism and eugenics that defended racist ideology and was used to justify genocide by radical groups. Extremist nationalism derives from a belief in inherent scientific and social superiority over one group or another. The entitlement these people feel they deserve is a primary producer of fear and paranoia. Fear directly ties into the replacement theory, commonly associated with the United States and a historical irrational fear of white citizens that they will be replaced by non-white immigrants by liberal elites (often believed to be controlled by Jews). This was a common fear in Nazi Germany. In the case of Ukraine and Russia, Putin and his oligarchs fear the increasing power of Ukraine and its potential alliance with NATO. Such growing powers are falsely believed to seek the outright annihilation of Russia and its former glory. Last but not least, the dehumanization of language is a prominent fear and bully tactic used by governments committing acts of cultural genocide. As we saw also in Nazi Germany, the near eradication of Yiddish and Hebrew among Jewish populations is still felt around diaspora communities where a lack of universal language dilutes the native culture and risks certain practices and traditions being lost to intolerance.

I can not say what we as individuals and we as a humanitarian global community should do. I can not in good conscience allow myself or my peers to remain uneducated about these atrocities, not only now in Ukraine, but in countries where I fear we are likely to see similar events unfolding. To disseminate factual and healing information about the war in Ukraine is the first step in educating the masses. Forming the minds of like-minded individuals and societies who will stand against genocide will greatly profit future generations to come.

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Laura B: Is genocide happening in Ukraine?

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Laura B: Is genocide happening in Ukraine?

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Like Timothy Snyder argues, the Ukrainian War has been a genocidal war from the beginning. It starts out with the feeling from Russian officials and military that Ukrainians never belonged to their land, and therefore don't belong anywhere. As more and more believe this, there is more of an encouragement that because they "don't belong", they should not even exist. Here is when it becomes a genocide. The entire intention of the war was to be prosecuted as a genocidal war––to get rid of them as a group forever. Why is this incomparable to the Holocaust? That's exactly what Hitler wanted to do as well, and that's what the Russian government is doing as well. They are literally executing a group, preventing more births, forcing them out of their own country, and taking their children. This is literally the definition of genocide

Snyder was especially convincing when he listed the legal definitions of genocide, and specified that only ONE of those had to be true to be considered a genocide. He lists 5 criteria: killing members of a group, causing serious bodily or mental harm, deliberately inflicting conditions of life, imposing measures to prevent birth, and forcibly assimilating children of the group to another group are all conditions and definitions of genocide.  He does a wonderful job of stating multiple facts and arguments after each single definition. He discusses that children are being taken from Ukraine, and being sent into the far corners of Russia to be adopted by other Russians, in order to prevent the transfer of Ukrainian language and culture. He also mentions that along with children, FERTILE women are being sent to different parts of Russia so that they are not able to have fully Ukrainian children, and create more of Russian descent. This is particularly creepy because they are literally trying to eliminate the Ukrainian nationality, for good. He mentioned that at an old Ukrainian school, Ukrainians were taken in and prevented from leaving. Some died from starvation, some were taken out to get shot, and children left chilling drawings on the wall. From the beginning, water and energy supplies were cut off from Ukrainians, forcing them to leave the area.

I'm not exactly sure what the US can do about this, but I worry that it's becoming the situation of the Holocaust––and only then we intervened because we were being threatened. Nevertheless, it is not just something that the US should act on, it's something that the entire world should act on. Why are we not hearing anything about the war in the media? I'm conflicted because if we were to intervene, we will most definitely get involved in the war, and Russia will inflict damage on our nation, but if we just sit here watching ANOTHER genocide, we are all bystanders letting hundreds of thousands of murderers walk free. I think we should be more accepting of those Ukrainian refugees, and send more supplies over to help the military and citizens. I think we can do a better job of also supporting those Ukrainian journalists and news people in order to receive better coverage about what is happening, and what these people need.

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I do believe that what is happening in Ukriane is a genocide and its impossible to deny it. Russia and Putin are quite literally trying to wipe out an entire population and pretend that they were never there and never existed. Putin wants to “obliterate them all” how is that not genocide? Snyder states that it is always hard to recognize a genocide from the outside, but this is very clearly what is happening here.  Ukranians are being told you do not exist, you have no right to exist as people, justifying their murdering. Snyder defines genocide as having 6 different qualities and he had evidence to back up that the Ukrainians fit under each one. For example just a few were forcibly transferring children to another group, imposing measures trying to attempt to stop people from giving birth, and causing serious mental and physical harm. Snyder shares with his audience that Russian soldiers are told to 🤬 Ukrainian women in hopes of them being too traumatized to have children in the future. That is horrific and certainly genocide. Anyone denying the facts are  simply adding to the harm.

Snyder provides 9 examples of evidence that supports his argument that Russia is committing genocide against Ukrain. These include 1. Colonialism 2. Apologist 3. Dehumanizing language 4. Narcissism 5. Escalatory 6.Metaphysical 7. Fascism 8.  Replacement theory and finally 9. Exceptionalism. I found dehumanizing language very convincing as Snyder states that by using this language to separate the Ukrainians from Russia and see them as others it allows for the murder and mistreatment to be justified. Putin says that the Ukrainians don't exist and the people that say they are Ukrainian are not really from Russia they are not attached to the land.  He makes the argument that Ukrainians are alienated from the soil. This is an effective and scary way to justify the killing of an entire people. He is delusional and I can't even imagine what it is like to be living while someone is actively trying to deny your life. Also the metaphysical was compelling to me, as it was so outrageous. Russians believing that Ukrainians are with Satan is almost comical if you were not dealing with millions of lives on the line. These people are delusional, seriously? Leaders of Russia use the excuse that Ukraine and Russia are one because of a baptism that took place long ago, or the idea that Russia is a holy land so Ukraine must be hell. The “Desatanization” of Russia. This line of reasoning is shocking and disturbing and a really compelling piece of evidence.

I have no idea what we individually or we as the U.S. should be doing to stop this genocide. Definitely acknowledging it and calling it by the proper name. I think the U.S. should be holding Putin more accountable but I understand that it is hard to be so focused on foreign affairs with national problems. But by helping Ukraine we would be saving lives and expanding democracy. Personally and individually people can donate to organizations that are helping the people of Ukraine like Blue Cross or donating supplies.  I believe sending supplies like food and safe water is important, especially if Russia plans to cut Ukraine's water source. I would like to learn more about what we should be doing.