Whatever the case, other countries may not treat civilians in a war zone the same way Americans might treat them. Specifically, the Geneva Conventions apparently classify some civilians who take up arms as "unlawful combatants", and although US forces might not summarily execute such individuals, other countries are obviously not bound by American law and morality.
With our own government treating dissenting Americans as "insurrectionists", more 'militant' citizens might at some future point want to remember that armed civilians are apparently considered POWs (rather than "unlawful combatants") under the Geneva Conventions if they:
(a) are being commanded by a person responsible for his subordinates;
(b) have a fixed distinctive sign recognizable at a distance;
(c) are carrying arms openly; and
(d) are conducting their operations in accordance with the laws and customs of war.
Does any of this apply to Ukraine? Again, I don't know, but we've seen multiple threads posted here showing photos of "armed civilians" (here, and here, for example), who did not appear to be wearing "distinctive" insignia, may not have been under command, and may not have been conducting themselves in accordance with the laws of war.
Given all of the 'shark-jumping' propaganda out there, I would not be surprised if some completely 'fake news' has had the unanticipated result of getting real people killed, somewhere along the line...
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