Paul Goble
Staunton, May 18 – Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine is “unprecedented in many ways, Viktor Vilisov says; but one that is especially important is the following that does not always get the attention it deserves: “Military conflicts have never before occurred in an area with such dense mobile and Internet coverage.”
The Russian commentator says that eight years ago, only four percent of Ukrainians had access to highspeed networks; now 80 percent do. In 2014, only 14 percent hae d smartphones; now more than 70 percent do. And tracking from air or space has advanced geometrically as well (https://theins.ru/obshestvo/251004 in Russian; theins.ru/en/society/251631).
In a 5500-word article, Vilisov provides details about this new reality, details those following this war should read his words about, but he also makes two overarching points. On the one hand, these advances have been a mixed blessing for Ukraine, helping it document what Russia is doing but also helping Russia identify targets to use force against.
And on the other, the international legal system has not kept up with these changes. Digital evidence is not always completely accepted; and that means that some of the most serious conflicts about the new era of warfare are ahead, as efforts are made to bring those charged with war crimes and crimes against humanity to justice.
No comments:
Post a Comment