and characterize these killings as local brutalities by undisciplined and poorly led troops venting their rage and hatred against an enemy that has defeated them fair and square in battle. It just makes no sense, from a military point of view, to do this. It gives your opponent propaganda ammunition and infuriates your foe to fight ever harder.

OTOH, the systematic and indiscriminate bombing of residential areas on such a mass scale as we have seen in a number of cities, as well as attacks on refugee columns and evacuation corridors, is clearly done for military reasons, it forces the Ukrainians to divert resources from the battlefield in order to protect civilians. Its still a war crime, but at least it makes sense from a military point of view. Still, unlike the atrocities I mention above, this bombing must originate from higher levels of command. They can't blame it on rogue soldiers or renegade commanders. And the sheer scale of the bombing tells me its not an error or accident either.

That's all the evidence any war crimes tribunal should need.