Manifesto to the Free World

Manifesto to the Free World on the Second Anniversary of russia’s Full-Scale Invasion and the Tenth Anniversary of russian war of Aggression Against Ukraine

“Please don’t ask Ukrainians when the war will end, ask yourself why is russia still able to continue it.” – Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the Munich Security Conference.

Two years of russian open aggression and ten years of war are an immensely heavy burden for everyone in Ukraine. So many shattered lives, deaths, and daily traumas are unbearable. Yet, Ukrainians and our defenders continue to stand and fight for their right to be a free democratic country where citizens choose freedom and justice, their culture, and love, rather than death, violence, and the discrimination embodied by the russian world.

For Ukrainians, to stop fighting means to perish, to end up in occupation, to lose their identity and any hope of a future where justice and life prevail instead of the armed lawlessness of the russian occupiers. Stopping to fight means losing children, as russia deports them to its territory and forces them to forget about their identity and home, then militarizes them for its future wars. To stop fighting means for Ukraine to disappear, to turn into a russian military outpost.

The past two years have also been challenging for Ukraine’s partners and citizens of other countries. Indeed, step by step, russian informational influence penetrated more and more minds, dampening solidarity and the sense of justice, playing on fears and traumas. Democratic countries experienced divisions, the growing popularity of radical populist movements, and belief in conspiracy theories. russian propaganda and constant financial injections into destabilizing Western democracies have done their job. Part of the population of supporting countries has become tired of news about Ukraine, and they begin to suspect and blame NATO and Ukrainian society for all the consequences of this war. Forgetting that the only source of violence and war is russia.

Yet, there are still many of those who realize the real threat, who know that stopping to support Ukraine means inviting russia to conquer their countries, threaten their democracies, and pave the way for a world where autocrats and lawlessness challenge democracies and the rule of law everywhere.

For Europe to stop supporting Ukraine is to lose freedom and democracy, to give up everything gained and created since World War II to new totalitarian regimes. Stopping the support means finding oneself in a world where the law does not protect, diversity and rights are ridiculed and forbidden, and children are taught to love russia and die for it.

Despite the fatigue and constant manipulations in the information field, we are grateful to all who hold on to their judgment, think critically, and support Ukraine in the fight against the russian world and its allies. We see and feel your support, and together, we can defend ourselves against this darkness. We are grateful to all who understand that peace is only possible when Ukraine wins, and russia suffers defeat and, consequently, a complete transformation. Only through the defeat and complete transformation of russian imperial power structure and mind, and through a new security system that casts russia unable to perform military attacks, is sustainable peace achievable. That is why our main slogan this year is #victoryforpeace.

All who understand and believe in the value of freedom, the rule of law, and justice must unite and show authoritarian rulers our determination to continue the movement and struggle for sustainable peace.

We appeal to the free world to support Ukraine in winning this war to achieve long-lasting peace.

What is needed for Ukraine’s victory?

1. Military aid

Which includes the manufacturing and supply of:

• ammunition
• combat drones
• fighter jets
• long-range missiles like Taurus cruise missiles.
• alll other possible military equipment and cutting-edge technologies

Technological advantage is our chance to win faster and reduce the number of potential casualties, to save lives, which for the free world is a value, not a resource.

2. #MakeRussiaPay

Transfer of frozen russian assets to Ukraine. It is not the West that should pay for the damages caused by russia, but the aggressor country itself. Doing this is now quite simple: redirecting frozen assets of the russian central bank to Ukraine, which is approximately $300 billion to date. For a detailed breakdown of available russian money in European banks, as well as arguments in favor, read the policy papers of our partner organization International center for Ukrainian victory (ICUV): https://ukrainianvictory.org/publications/confiscation-of-russian-sovereign-assets-mission-possible-and-overdue/

3. Sanctions

Sanctions as a tool against terrorist regimes can work if applied systematically and on different levels. By sanctions, we imply:

• Expanding of sanctions against russia and its supporters
• Closing loopholes in sanctions legislation

Closing loopholes in sanctions legislation will help to prevent the supply of Western technologies and materials to russia that are used in the production of missiles and drones.

More on this topic can be found in the research of Ukrainian civil society organizations: https://nako.org.ua/storage/pdf/2023-07-03–08:50:07-Report-drones-final.pdf https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/articles/2023/08/28/7417354/index.amp

4. Withdraw businesses from russia

• Issue guidance on risks for businesses in russia;
• restrict public procurement access for companies remaining there.

All taxes paid in russia are direct money for it to continue war. Every company that still operates in russia becomes the supporter of russian war in Ukraine.

The amount of taxes paid by all foreign companies operating in russia in 2022-2023 could be at the level of $20 billion annually, as per KSE estimates. This is enough to cover half of russia’s 2022 military budget, used to terrorize Ukraine.

222 German firms are still operating in russia — including Metro AG, Bayer, Hugo Boss, Knauf, Kärcher and Siemens Energy AG.

More information can be found here : https://kse.ua/about-the-school/news/61th-issue-of-the-regular-digest-on-impact-of-foreign-companies-exit-on-rf-economy/

https://leave-russia.org/?flt%5B131%5D%5Beq%5D%5B0%5D=320&flt%5B147%5D%5Beq%5D%5B%5D=9057 (German companies which continue operations in russia)

5. Countering russian influence in Europe

• Serious treatment of the russian information threat and allocation of resources for full-fledged resistance to the spread of russian disinformation campaigns.
• Involvement of intelligence services to counter the threat of russian espionage, blackmail, and financing of internal actors in European countries.
• Investigation and consistent closure of long-standing centers of russian influence in Europe (for example, the russian house in Berlin)
• Decolonize the Western European perception of Central and Eastern Europe in education and culture. Stop viewing these countries through the russian imperial lens.

6. Sustainable peace plan

Acknowledge and include the Sustainable Peace Manifesto as a plan for Europe’s future. A shared vision of victory and peace will help create realistic strategies for their achievement.

By starting the war, russia has violated fundamental norms and principles of international law. By ending it with the Ukrainian victory, we can reestablish the international security order peacefully and justly, creating a new global system based on solidarity and cooperation between just actors under the rule of law.

Let us keep on fighting and defending peace together. Come to the solidarity protest at Brandenburger Gate in Berlin on the 24th of February to express your readiness to protect a free and democratic world until peace and the rule of law are reestablished on values and not violence.