The prison thing is surely a factor. But is it really that much more than WW2 or Vietnam? We can’t compare it to small wars, this is the biggest war in a long time and it’s based around cultural identity (at least for those at the low levels). If you have a dehumanised enemy, all bets are off.
The stories of atrocities in WWI and WWII include a great deal of kidnapping, public executions and even prolonged torture at prison camps. Vietnam certainly had several documented cases of rape and murders of villagers. But there are not a lot of accounts of soldiers sexually assaulting and torturing entire families in their homes for several days before finally executing many of them. For some reason, there is a mountain of these documented cases in this war. As time goes on, and the list grows, history will show the torture in this war to be unusually perverse and horrific.
There are more documented accounts in this war because it is easier than ever to document and reporting is more socially accepted than it has been in the past. Even today there is shame and blame on the victims, but not nearly as much as in the past.
The rate is probably higher too because of Russia’s horrible military training practices.
The prison thing is surely a factor. But is it really that much more than WW2 or Vietnam? We can’t compare it to small wars, this is the biggest war in a long time and it’s based around cultural identity (at least for those at the low levels). If you have a dehumanised enemy, all bets are off.
The stories of atrocities in WWI and WWII include a great deal of kidnapping, public executions and even prolonged torture at prison camps. Vietnam certainly had several documented cases of rape and murders of villagers. But there are not a lot of accounts of soldiers sexually assaulting and torturing entire families in their homes for several days before finally executing many of them. For some reason, there is a mountain of these documented cases in this war. As time goes on, and the list grows, history will show the torture in this war to be unusually perverse and horrific.
There are more documented accounts in this war because it is easier than ever to document and reporting is more socially accepted than it has been in the past. Even today there is shame and blame on the victims, but not nearly as much as in the past.
The rate is probably higher too because of Russia’s horrible military training practices.