> Begin forwarded message: > > From: Dmytro Chepurnyi <[email protected]> > Subject: Letter from Ukraine > Date: February 23, 2022 at 00:44:46 GMT+2 > To: undisclosed-recipients:; > > Dear friends and colleagues! > > On the 21st of February 2022, by recognizing the so-called Luhansk and > Donetsk People’s Republics Russian Federation confirmed its responsibility > for the violence that is happening in eastern Ukraine since 2014. Today, > Ukraine is in more danger than ever because of Russian aggression. I am > writing now to ask for help. Go to your government and demand help for our > country, because this is not just a war between Ukraine and Russia, this is a > direct manifestation of Russia’s disdain of the norms of international law > and an act of open aggression with complete disregard of the established > borders in Europe. What is happening today paves the way for further Russian > military aggression, which could be the downfall of global peace and security. > > Yesterday Vladimir Putin delivered an hour-long speech full of fiction, > cynicism, and aggressive militaristic rhetoric against Ukraine. The Russian > president referred a lot to the history of the 20th century, but his version > of this history is a fabrication filled with unachieved imperialistic dreams. > This is worrying because it means that Russia could initiate the occupation > of any post-imperial territories across Europe, continuing a pattern of > action we have witnessed in Ukraine, Georgia, Moldova, and beyond. Putin’s > speech – in which he rewrote Ukrainian history and denied the existence of an > independent Ukrainian state – concluded with a formal statement recognizing > the independence of Luhansk and Donetsk, two territories in the east of > Ukraine which have been occupied by Russian-backed forces for eight years. > > Why am I writing to you right now with deep concern? I was born in Luhansk in > 1994 and the best times of my childhood were spent in my grandma's house in > the beautiful village in the Luhansk region. I grew up in eastern Ukraine. > Our family lived in a detached house in a suburb of Luhansk. Part of my > family was forced to become internally displaced persons in 2014 because of > Putin's decision to occupy Crimea and his insurgence in Ukrainian Donbas. > According to the Ministry of Social Policy in Ukraine, there are about one > million internally displaced families who lost their homes due to the Russian > aggression in eastern Ukraine. The second part of my family currently lives > in a ‘safe’, non-occupied part of the Luhansk oblast. > > The decision to recognize the independence of the so-called Luhansk and > Donetsk Peoples Republics has created an insecure situation in the > non-occupied territory of the Luhansk oblast, which is currently defended by > the Ukrainian army. Today there have been many announcements suggesting that > the newly recognized ‘republics’ want to occupy the remainder of the Luhansk > oblast with the support of Russian troops. Russia has already prepared the > official military agreement with these so-called republics. > > Since 2014 due to the Russian military intervention the occupied territories > have become zones of violation of human rights. Among the examples include an > illegal prison that is based on the territory of IZOLYATSIA, an art center in > Donetsk I have regularly worked with in Kyiv after its relocation. > Checkpoints allowing people in and out of these occupied territories > interfere with the right for mobility and restrict economic freedom, access > to medicine, and education. Russia and its republics cannot ensure basic > human rights for the “new citizens”. > > These personal stories and reflections have become a subject of a series of > cultural projects I have initiated and realized independently and with > various organizations since 2016. I know many cultural professionals and > activists from Mariupol, Kramatorsk, Sievierodonetsk, Porkrovsk, Myrnograd, > Starobilsk, and other towns of the Donbas region who don’t want to be > occupied or to relocate in the nearest future, they are ready to defend the > freedom and peace in their communities. > > But in Ukraine today, my normal work is not possible. It is impossible to > plan future projects, publish texts or take part in educational programs as > the future is so grim and unpredictable due to the Russian aggression against > Ukraine. To be clear, this is re-established colonialism in Europe. We > condemn the Russian aggression and call for everyone to support Ukraine and > act against Putin’s crimes together with Ukrainians. > > Our response to this act must be to stop the Russian Federation from taking > any further steps to undermine the territorial sovereignty of Ukraine. Russia > and its government must be stopped immediately! > > Your public political position and support have never been so vital. > Thank you very much for your support! > > Warmest greetings from peaceful Kyiv > Dmytro > > Kyiv, Ukraine > 22.02.2022 >
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