You think death by drone is somehow more cruel or unusual than death by artillery shell, or machine gun, or landmine, or bomb, or missile?
War is cruel and unusual.
Geneva convention-type rules, like bans against cluster munitions, are usually less about what soliders do to each other, but more about protecting civilians. But targeted drones on the front lines pose virtually no danger to civilians at all.
There’s a sadistic element here with the footage. It’s torturing an animal at the very end. There should be a clear rules of surrender here.
Indiscriminate bombing is a major sin. We have no way of litigating the current war criminals, but ICC has warrants out on some. There’s a sadistic element to cutting off food and water.
> There’s a sadistic element here with the footage. It’s torturing an animal at the very end.
Not intentionally. It takes time for the drone operator to target. There's no torture. And drone attacks are the complete opposite of indiscriminate bombing.
> There should be a clear rules of surrender here.
That would be wonderful if it were possible. But how on earth could you implement it in practice? These attacks take place on Russian front lines, often kilometers away from Ukranian front lines. The drone has enough battery to quickly fly out with a heavy explosive and attack. It doesn't have enough battery to slowly escort a soldier walking back across the no-man's-land. And even if it did, Russian forces would surely be ordered to shoot deserters. Putin doesn't care about losing lives, as evidenced by the entire war.
You can't individually surrender when you're on your own front lines. You have to make it to your enemy's controlled territory first. (An entire unit can surrender, of course, but that's effectively giving your unit's territory to the enemy first. An individual soldier doesn't have territory to give.)
I don't think it is more cruel for the victim. But I think it is more cruel for humanity, in lack of better word. I think the effect on the soldier that controls the weapon is different.
It's pretty much like being a sniper, which you could argue has an effect on the soldier who is doing the killing. Though my empathy for that is almost nil.
War is cruel and unusual.
Geneva convention-type rules, like bans against cluster munitions, are usually less about what soliders do to each other, but more about protecting civilians. But targeted drones on the front lines pose virtually no danger to civilians at all.