American historian Timothy Snyder believes most people in the West are well aware Russia is committing genocide in Ukraine, but says many remain deeply reluctant to say so as this would oblige them to intervene more decisively while also explaining their earlier inaction.
Speaking to Yevropaiska Pravda in Kyiv in early September, Yale academic Snyder explained how Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has already produced ample evidence of both genocidal actions and genocidal intent. In particular, he pointed to the widespread use of explicitly genocidal language by senior Russian officials and throughout Russia’s heavily censored state media. “So for me it’s a very clear case,” he noted.
However, relatively few members of the Western establishment have so far been prepared to openly accuse Russia of genocide. Snyder said this reflects practical concerns over the consequences of employing such unambiguous language. “The reason people don’t say it’s genocide is because they know that it is. That sounds paradoxical, but I think people in the West avoid saying ‘genocide’ because if they said that it was, it would require more action, and it would require them to ask themselves why they didn’t do something earlier on.”
Snyder’s comments came days after the head of a UN Commission leading a probe into potential war crimes in Ukraine told journalists there was not yet conclusive evidence of a Russian genocide in Ukraine. UN Commission chairman Erik Mose commented in Kyiv that his team had not assembled “sufficient evidence to meet the legal qualifications of the United Nations Genocide Convention.”