More than 400 people are said to have been murdered in the Kyiv suburb of Bucha. Some victims show signs of torture or rape. What the Russian military is doing in Ukraine is part of a perfidious strategy. A military strategy that other countries are watching closely – and copying. By Alfred Hackensberger Men who just wanted to buy bread. A family with three children who had sought shelter in the basement. Women hiding in their homes. Now they are all dead. Russian soldiers are said to have murdered them in cold blood in Bucha. The mayor of the town northwest of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv spoke of a total of 403 deaths. Some of the victims show signs of torture. Several women were raped. After the Russian soldiers withdrew from Bucha, the corpses testify to a shocking sequence of violent acts during the occupation of the city. Human rights organizations and the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague are now investigating whether war crimes have been committed. Bucha was n
Drug cultivation is one of Afghanistan's most important sources of income. Die WELT visited the fields and talked to the people who live from growing opium and marijuana. The Taliban banned the cultivation of these plants once before. But this time is different. 16/10/2021 This article was originally published by Die Welt on October 13, 2021. The original can be found here . Translation by SyriacPress By Alfred Hackensberger correspondent for WELT In the full afternoon heat, they huddle together in the shade of the last remaining grave on the grounds of the dilapidated cemetery of Mazar-i-Sharif. Some smoke crystal meth from small glass pipes, others heroin on aluminum foil, or opium. The relaxed mood of the ten or so men are changes abruptly when an armed member of the Taliban appears. He suddenly hits one of the drug users with the butt of his rifle and kicks him when he’s down. “The Taliban beat us all the time,” says the sturdy and tall Noorallah after the Taliban figh