An Appeal from Ukrainian Journalists to Their Colleagues Across the Democratic World
We, Ukrainian journalists, are reaching out to you — our fellow journalists across the free and democratic world.
We speak to you from a country where every morning begins with checking whether our families and friends are still alive. This appeal is a desperate attempt to warn you.
You may think the war in Ukraine has stopped or is about to end. But the war is still raging. Russia’s genocide and ecocide continue. Russian attacks occur every single day, as does the destruction and the deliberate hunting of civilians.
Perhaps your viewers and readers are no longer "interested" in watching us being killed live on air. Perhaps our deaths are no longer dramatic enough.
In your coverage, one can read that striking Russian oil refineries is supposedly "madness and a disgrace." But is killing people with ballistic missiles not a disgrace?! And is destroying bridges, schools, and hospitals not madness?!
It is painful to see headlines claiming that, in the thirteenth year of Russia's aggression against our country and our people, Ukraine allegedly "does not want peace." This is a twisted form of abuse: blaming the victim of aggression for refusing to remain a victim and daring to fight back.
We must all understand that Russia, the aggressor, is honing its ability to kill and destroy every single day. World leaders are afraid to admit publicly that a much wider war is becoming inevitable—and it is closer than ever. This is a conflict between civilizations, and it concerns the United States just as much as it concerns Europe.
We firmly believe it is dangerous to treat Ukraine as a distant place where a war is happening that has nothing to do with the rest of the world.
We desperately want peace. But we do not want a fake peace. To ensure that this aggression—or any other—never happens again, the aggressor must be held accountable. Let’s be honest: Putin is a modern-day Hitler. We must not repeat the mistakes of history, as trying to appease an aggressor is dangerous for the entire world.
We urge you not to remain silent. The courage of politicians depends on journalists. It is up to journalists to prevent politicians from lifting sanctions, from allowing the aggressor to rebuild its strength, and from giving it the opportunity to keep killing people, destroying countries, and devastating the world.
Fellow journalists, do everything in your power to prevent your countries from siding with evil. No one has the right to reshape the international order through force and occupation.
We believe in the power of words, in justice, and in your integrity.
May common sense save the world we share.
#wariscoming
#youmaybenext
