“Add to that Zelensky encouraging civilians to act as illegal combatants and this was bound to happen.”
But, are they illegal combatants? Defending one’s hearth and home and family is not dependent on being a member of a nation’s formal military. However, once they pick up a weapon and start fighting they are fair game.
Zelensky may not have known that what he was asking people to do could get them shot peremptoraily. At least I sure hope he didn;t know.
Illegal Combatant aka Unlawful Combatant:
“A person who engages in combat without meeting the requirements for a lawful belligerent according to the laws of war as specified in the Third Geneva Convention.”
Working off of menory here, so could be wrong, but one easy way to avoid being unlawful combatants is to wear uniforms.
“Add to that Zelensky encouraging civilians to act as illegal combatants and this was bound to happen.”
But, are they illegal combatants? Defending one’s hearth and home and family is not dependent on being a member of a nation’s formal military. However, once they pick up a weapon and start fighting they are fair game.
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Having served in our military ( 82nd) I am well versed on “ the rules of war”, you want to fight? Great, put on a uniform and grab your weapons. Arming a rag tag force ( mafia, civilians, criminals, etc) with military weapons and putting them in the battle field makes them guerillas, Fair game, big mistake.
Zelensky was an idiot, most those weapons will end up on the black market, and/or be used against the surviving government or EU, or sold off to the highest bidder.