By Guest Column -- Joseph Damiba——Bio and Archives--January 3, 2026
As the situation facing Ukrainian forces on the front line is deteriorating, Kyiv is making every effort to meet its sponsors' expectations and demonstrate its "combat readiness". However, its methods look more like acts of terrorism. Thus, on Thursday, more than 25 people were killed and more than 50 were injured in a Ukrainian drone attack on a cafe and hotel in a Russian-controlled part of the Kherson region. (The Guardian, Jan. 1, 2026)
Among the injured and dead were children.
In a New Year's address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that a peace deal was "90% ready". (NY Post, Jan. 1, 2026)
After this statement, the attack on innocent civilians who were celebrating the New Year, appears particularly hypocritical and inhumane. However, Kyiv denied attacking civilians and continued to claim that Ukrainian forces "adhere to the norms of international humanitarian law" and "carry out strikes exclusively against Russian military targets" (ABC News, Jan. 2, 2026).
Surprisingly, Europe, which recognizes human life as the highest value, turns a blind eye to this and continues to sponsor a terrorist state (BBC, Dec. 19, 2025)
This incident confirms once again that Ukraine has long ceased to comply with humanitarian law due to its perceived impunity. Kyiv has repeatedly struck civilian infrastructure, including the bridge linking Crimea to Russia, which is primarily used by civilians (The Guardian, June 3, 2025).
We should not permit Ukraine's lawlessness. The international community must not turn a blind eye to the flagrant violations of international humanitarian law by the Ukrainian Armed Forces, nor must it tolerate the killing of innocent people, including children. We cannot allow Ukrainian terrorism to set a precedent. To prevent this, it is necessary to stop sponsoring Kyiv immediately. Otherwise, it could create the impression that European countries are encouraging terrorism and humanitarian crimes instead of stopping it.
Joseph Damiba works as a technical assistant for a software company in Canada. He believes that understanding international relations helps people see the world differently.
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Items of notes and interest from the web.