Crimes of War

1. Set Focus
Pose this essential question to guide discussion: How does a war crime differ from what are considered legal actions of war?

2. List Vocabulary
Share with students some of the challenging vocabulary words in this article (see below). Encourage them to use context to infer meanings as they read.

• sadistically (p. 6)
• atrocities (p. 6)
• accountable (p. 6)
• perpetrators (p. 7)
• violate (p. 7)
• intent (p. 7)

3. Engage
Have students share what they know about the war in Ukraine. Then poll students: Do you think Russian President Vladimir Putin is a war criminal? Tell students that they will debate this question at the end of the lesson.

4. Read 
Have students read the article, marking the text to note key ideas or questions.

5. Discuss
Distribute or project Up Close: Crimes of War, a close-reading activity for students to work on in small groups. (Note: The questions on the PDF also appear below, with possible responses.) Follow up with a class discussion. If you’re short on time, have each group tackle one or two of the questions. Collect students’ work or have each group report its findings to the class.

• What is the author’s main purpose in the first two paragraphs of the article? (Author’s purpose, text structure) 
  (The author’s main purpose is to show what a war crime might look like. The author does this with an anecdote about how Russian troops left behind a grim scene of dead civilians when retreating from the town of Bucha. Starting with this example helps set up one of the main ideas of the article—that certain acts of violence carried out during war are considered unacceptable and criminal.)    

• What is a war crime? What was the first systematic attempt to punish war crimes? How are war crimes prosecuted today? (Summarize, sequence of events)
  (A war crime is an act committed during armed conflict that violates international laws designed to protect civilians, medics, aid workers, and captured or wounded soldiers. For example, knowingly bombing a hospital is a war crime. The prosecution of Nazi leaders at the Nuremberg Trials after World War II was the first systematic attempt to punish war crimes. Today, alleged perpetrators of war crimes are prosecuted by the International Criminal Court and U.N. tribunals, and in local court systems. The I.C.C. can also investigate crimes of genocide and crimes against humanity.)

• Lauren Baillie says, “Holding people accountable for war crimes helps deter future atrocities.” What does she mean? Do you agree? (Word meaning, evaluate claims)
  (She means that if people are punished for committing war crimes, then other people will be less likely to commit war crimes in the future. Opinions will vary but should be clearly and logically supported.)

• What makes prosecuting war crimes difficult? (Problem & solution)
  (Prosecutors must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the alleged perpetrator knowingly committed the atrocities. Proving how much a leader knew or how involved a leader was in setting events in motion often proves difficult for investigators. Also, proving that an action was purposefully done is also difficult. For example, the bombing of a hospital might seem like a war crime, but the alleged perpetrator could claim they didn’t realize that a hospital was located at the bombing site.)

• The author says, “The situation in Ukraine looks very different to experts.” What is the author comparing? How are they different? (Compare & contrast, make inferences) 
  (The author is comparing Russia’s actions of war in Ukraine today to events in the past involving the U.S. that resulted in accusations of war crimes. One way the U.S. events are different is that they involved a few rogue soldiers, not troops directed by leaders to systematically target civilians. Another way the events involving the U.S. are different is that U.S. leaders have investigated the situations and attempted to hold the perpetrators responsible. In contrast, it seems likely that Putin has directed his troops to commit atrocities as part of his strategy of war, yet he has denied that they have happened.)

• What does the sidebar “Recent War Crimes Investigations” add to the main article? (Integrate multiple sources)
  (The sidebar elaborates on the war crimes in Yugoslavia referenced in the section “Nuremberg Trials” and provides additional examples. Students might say this information helps show the need for regulating war crimes.)
  

6. Writing Prompt
Research three first-person accounts of the war in Ukraine. Then write a brief essay summarizing common themes in the accounts and ending with an evaluation of whether those accounts support accusations of Russian war crimes.

7. Video
Watch the video. What does it add to your understanding of the article?

8. Classroom Debate
Should Putin be prosecuted for war crimes?

9. Quiz & Skills
Use the quiz to assess students’ comprehension and Organizing Ideas to review outlining skills.