In his interview with Suspilne Chernihiv, Serhiy Prytula said that after the liberation of the occupied territories, he would first of all go to Sevastopol."because there is one scumbag I really want to hold by the throat...it's the scum Oleg Kryuchkov", a former journalist for a Ukrainian TV channel.

Many people really believe that after the liberation of Crimea, this is exactly what will happen - we will start pulling our enemies by the throat. This is an important signal to the occupied territories: if you support the occupation authorities, you will be punished. And this is good. Pragmatically speaking, it is important for us, the state, that as few Crimeans as possible help the Muscovites during the occupation, and that as many occupiers and their henchmen as possible leave the peninsula when it is liberated. Reintegration will be more successful, the less disloyal to Ukraine people remain on the peninsula.

At the same time, such theses, when expressed by well-known people (volunteers, politicians, especially the military), are dangerous. Ukraine will not allow arbitrariness in the liberated territories. The possibility of arbitrariness after the liberation of Crimea is an illusion. The practice of liberation of Kherson, Kyiv, Sumy, Chernihiv, Kharkiv regions shows that the actions of the Defense Forces during and immediately after the liberation of our lands met the standards of the rule of law to the maximum extent possible. 

So the desire to "hold the enemy by the throat" will not be realized. Creating unrealistic expectations in society is dangerous for further disappointment of its infantile part.

In addition, our foreign partners are incredibly afraid of lawlessness in the liberated territories. A highly professional, experienced Ukrainian army that shares the desire for arbitrariness (including revenge) creates a sense of danger for foreign societies. This limits the ability of their governments to equip our army with modern weapons. The quantity and quality of the weapons provided is directly proportional to the level of trust of our foreign partners, and is also directly proportional to the level of admiration of their societies for the endurance and resilience of the Ukrainian army. We have foreign aid as long as we have the sympathy of foreign countries for our people. You must admit that it is difficult to convince a civilized society to hand over weapons to an armada of bloodthirsty avengers, as the Muscovites are trying to make us look in their propaganda.

We are now living through a moment when every careless action, even a careless word, can change the level of support for foreign societies for the worse.

At the same time, I have no doubt that the occupiers' accomplices will be punished. There is no other way. They will be punished only in one way - on the basis of the law, and in the way determined by the law.

Ukraine strictly adheres to the requirements of the international law of armed conflict. (It would be worth making more efforts to highlight this indisputable fact abroad, as well as to make public the facts of war crimes of Muscovites, but this is the topic of another post.)

Our state has enshrined in national law and strictly requires its citizens, especially the military, to behave in accordance with the standards of a civilized society. The liberation of our Muscovite-occupied territories and the occupation of a part of the Kursk region of the Russian Federation by the Armed Forces of Ukraine are the actions of a civilized army of a civilized state.

Lynching is a crime, extrajudicial executions are a crime, torture is a crime, maiming is a crime, murder is a crime, looting is a crime...

The liberation of the Crimean peninsula will be accompanied by lawsuits based on information that is now being actively collected by the SBU, the NPU, the prosecutor's office, as well as public organizations. 

Rights restriction, bringing to administrative, criminal liability will take place exclusively on the basis of the law.

So now "to hold the throat of the occupiers' accomplice" in the understanding of our state means "to collect sufficient data to bring to justice as prescribed by law." 

The experience of post-conflict settlement in many countries shows that a society traumatized by war and crime receives a higher level of sense of justice when criminals are put behind bars before a fair and legal court, and not on roadside poles.

Every citizen can contribute to the restoration of justice - both directly to the liberation of the peninsula and to bringing the enemy's accomplices to justice. Information about the occupiers, about those who assist them, about the crimes they commit is important. Information about the composition of the enemy forces, the movement of military equipment and its location, and the state of military infrastructure is important. In the end, almost everyone can join the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. 

We all have many opportunities, but it is only what each of us does today that matters.

The enemy and his minions will be punished, provided that we make efforts today for the possible future. There is no point in wasting time and energy on "gurgling in the air." 

It distracts from the real thing.