Most in the West see Russia's war in Ukraine as immoral and unjust. Some lay the blame solely at Putin's feet, seeing him as an authoritarian leader and the Russian soldiers as being forced to do his bidding. But, argues the University of Oxford’s Jeff McMahan, this picture is too simple. We must see Russian soldiers as morally responsible for their actions during the war in Ukraine. Fighting in an unjust war is a morally impermissible act, despite Putin's tyranny.

Sekyra and White’s Professor of Moral Philosophy at the University of Oxford, Jeff McMahan, is one of the most influential ethicists writing today. McMahan has conducted groundbreaking research on a host of controversial topics, including abortion, euthanasia, and killing in combat, and he recently contributed to a special issue of Studia Philosophica Estonica entitled ‘Reflections on the Russia-Ukraine War’. In this interview, Vision Fellow in Public Philosophy at King’s College London, A.J. Wendland, speaks with McMahan about his motivation to study philosophy, the intersection between philosophy and armed conflict, just war theory and its application to the Russia-Ukraine war, and what morality demands of the international community in the face of Russian aggression.

___

Thus, according to traditional just war theory, Russian soldiers in Ukraine do nothing wrong provided they obey the rules of engagement, for example, by refraining from intentionally attacking civilians.

___

A.J. Wendland: You have spent much of your academic career analyzing the ethics of various life-and-death issues, including abortion, euthanasia, and killing in combat. What initially prompted you to study philosophy? And what motivated you to conduct significant research on the ethics of killing?