The Russian leader is very unlikely to be hauled before the Hague.
New York Times Beirut bureau chief Ben Hubbard offers the depressing insight that “ Impunity for War Crimes in Syria Casts a Grim Shadow Over Ukraine.” As the world takes in the grim realities of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine — the once-vibrant neighborhoods bombed out, the civilians killed by shells while trying to flee, the speculation about whether Russia will use chemical weapons — many Syrians have watched with a horrifying sense of déjà vu and a deep foreboding about what lies ahead. The Syrian war began 11 years ago this month with an anti-Assad uprising that spiraled into a multisided conflict among the government, armed rebels, jihadists and others. Hundreds of thousands of people have been killed, millions have fled their homes, and Mr. al-Assad has remained in power, in large part because of the extensive support he received from the man now driving the invasion of Ukraine, President Vladimir V. Putin Russia. The legacy of Syria’s war, and Russia’s role in it, looms large over Ukraine, offering potential lessons to Mr.
