My grandmother was raped by Russian soldiers in WW2 as they fled E. Prussia and south to Germany. She had my Aunt (12), Mother (8), and Uncle(5) in tow and were hidden in the building while this was happening to her and another woman. Later, my Aunt was chased through a corn field by different Russian soldiers and escaped.
War is wrong, war destroys so much more than buildings. That said, I harbor no ill will to the Russian people because they are equally a victim of wars. It's white hair men that start wars and then hide in their towers while the rest of use die.
Yes dehumanization is key to kill your "enemy." If you get a chance watching this interview of Stephen Westmann, a WW1 German soldier and how kill made no sense considering the French soldier he killed could've been his neighbor a few months ago.
