Opinion: Ukraine needs a ‘No-fly zone’ NOW
Pregnant women being stretchered away, babies buried under rubble, bodies in the streets.
In the grim aftermath of the Mariupol maternity hospital bombing, the solution is obvious
NATO need to introduce a ‘no-fly zone’ over Ukraine NOW.
All this bloodshed and heartache could have all been prevented. And importantly stop the Russians doing it again.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky wants to see the implementation of a ‘no-fly zone’ over Ukraine which would give NATO the authority to shoot down Russian aircraft, which would be the biggest intervention from the west so far.
This call to action follows bombings by the Russian air force upon civilian targets which has hit buildings protected by international law such as hospitals and maternity wards.
One example of these indiscriminate bombings was seen in the port city of Mariupol, currently encircled and under siege by the Russians, where the hospital complex attack resulted in three people dead which included a six-year-old girl as well as 17 others wounded.
These bombings have been correctly described as genocidal by Zelensky who spoke after the Mariupol attack: “The air bomb on the maternity hospital is the final proof. Proof that the genocide of Ukrainians is taking place.”
Eighteen other medical facilities have been confirmed by the World Health Organization to have been hit since the invasion began which shows that Russian President Vladimir Putin is willing to commit numerous blatant war crimes as he and his forces continue their campaign of death and misery.
NATO and the west cannot simply just stand by and allow these breaches of human rights to continue unpunished as sanctions and military aid have shown to not be enough to stop the Russian advance.
A ‘no-fly zone’ would allow for much needed intervention by NATO air forces which would help Ukraine gain air superiority over its own skies, giving the Ukrainian army and its foreign volunteers the chance to push back the poorly supplied Russians and prevent the potential encirclement of the whole Ukranian army and mass killing of innocent Ukrainian civilians.
Though the shooting down of Russian aircraft by NATO forces may result in escalation, even going as far as putting nuclear weapons on the table, the threat of mutually assured destruction across the world may be a step too far for Putin.
This is due to Putin already facing plenty of backlash over the war in his own country as Russian casualties’ mount up reportedly in the thousands and sanctions make life difficult for ordinary Russians and Oligarchs alike.
The threat of a nuclear war may be the tipping point for the Russian people which could potentially lead to the current totalitarian fascist Putin government being overthrown.
NATO, the strongest military alliance the world has ever seen, should have little fear implementing a ‘no-fly zone’ to protect the lives of Ukrainian children who can expect more bomb attacks without proper intervention.
And stop newborns being crushed by concrete.
