Comments by "Meh Pluribus Unum" (@pluribus_unum) on "'These guys are really notorious': CNN military analyst on Wagner mercenaries in Ukraine" video.

Summary execution is still barred by the Geneva conventions. Unlawful combatants are not entitled to the Geneva convention protections which apply to lawful combatants. This means that unlawful combatants can be can be attacked at any time and can be detained indefinitely without trial. The Geneva conventions do not allow them to be summarily executed.
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Valid to you, sure. Valid under the Geneva conventions, no.
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@Rasmajnoon - So far, we have only claims from partial sources. Russia says it's killed more than 180 foreigners, Ukraine says zero. You are a Putin lackey, so the facts aren't important to you, however.
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Helen R - Yes, they sure did. They are part of the National Guard, formally. "A few months after recapturing the strategic port city of Mariupol from the Russian-backed separatists, the unit was officially integrated into the National Guard of Ukraine on November 12, 2014, and exacted high praise from then-President Petro Poroshenko."
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@karsaorlong3761 - No evidence for that claim outside of Russian's unreliable state sources. Additionally, the missiles Russia used are some of the oldest hypersonic military tech on the planet, from 1985 designs updated with Western chips and Russian AI to be steerable. It's not as impressive as Russia wants it to appear
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@theoutlook55 - Basically, they can be attacked at any time and can be detained indefinitely without trial. Executed? No
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@saltmerchant749 - That's what I said. The right to be a combatant means the protections on lawful combatants provided by signatories to the Geneva conventions are afforded to you. The Geneva conventions protect even unlawful combatants from torture or summary execution, but not indefinite detention, [n]or [are they afforded] any of the other protections afforded that apply to lawful combatants.
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@saltmerchant749 - The bar against the torture or summary execution of anyone is covered in the Geneva conventions, according to most interpretations. I believe mercenary forces would fall under unlawful combatants, based on these interpretations. Where you've got a point is if they are deemed 'unlawful belligerents', a term not covered in the Geneva conventions, but which was used by the GW Bush administration to describe terrorists, and formed the basis of justification for using Guantanamo to detain them indefinitely. Using foreign soil under military control meant they could proceed without having to define that term under US civilian law either. In practice, I'd imagine many Ukrainians aren't adhering to the conventions, and we know the Russian forces aren't. Without suggesting there is an equivalence, Zelensky's encouraging of civilians to fight is also against the conventions, but a rational and realistic decision nonetheless. I think it's likely that your sentiment is shared on the ground in Ukraine by many, regardless of the laws of war.
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@Rasmajnoon - Mmmhmmmm.
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