No to War in the Ukraine

I join with the international community in condemning Russia's destructive choice to launch an unprovoked attack on Ukraine and the grave violation of international law which began on  Feb  24. President Putin’s decision to invade Ukraine was indefensible, By using force against another state without any legal justification, Russia has flagrantly violated the United Nations Charter. It is abusing its position as a permanent member of the UN Security Council to shield itself from accountability and is a violation of Ukraine’s territorial integrity as a sovereign and democratic state. Vladimir Putin has since  been accused of committing war crimes after Ukraine reported more than 2,000 civilian deaths since Russia's full-scale invasion.

Right now as a result of the invasion  people in Ukraine are facing a catastrophic human rights crisis. People are dying, including children, and many thousands of lives are at risk.In under a week, we’ve watched in horror as a humanitarian crisis of an unprecedented scale has unfolded in front of our eyes. We must do everything we  can to alleviate the pain and suffering, denounce the violence and show the people they are not alone. My thoughts are with all those affected by the war. 

I recognise the fact that this conflict  is not a simple black and white  situation with good guys on one side and bad guys on the other. It is an extremely deep, very complex affair that has developed for centuries , but could so easily escalate  and become World War three and extinction.

Some facts on this very complex situation NATO has for years consistently moved military personnel, equipment and missiles up close to Russian borders (and Chinese borders) destabilising the extremely delicate balance of power between the superpowers  and created tensions that have led to war. 

The USA admits to spending around $5billion to bring about the toppling of the democratically elected (corrupt) government of Ukraine in a violent coup. In so doing they unleashed private militias such as the Azov Brigade, a white supremacy neo-nazi paramilitary who wear the same nazi insignia as the Ukraine SS brigade of the same name formed during WW2 and used to commit war crimes. These private paramilitaries then embarked on ethnic cleansing of Russian Ukrainians.  Subsequently the Asov Brigade was absorbed into the Ukraine military as a regiment, nazi insignia et all.  The Brit PM & US President 46 are both playing the classic game of diverting attention away from their massive problems at home by aggravating a problem abroad,.decrying diplomacy as appeasement and escalating arms supplies and military deployments to Eastern Europe.

Hunger in Ukraine  also  remains a prevalent issue due to years of war and conflict. The 2014 Ukraine crisis, in which Russia controversially annexed Crimea , soon led the eastern part of the country to erupt in war creating widespread political and economic upheaval. Since 2014, there have been multiple ceasefires, but none have been able to successfully quell the conflict that sadly has been ignited once more..

The situation in Ukraine remains volatile, and as it stands, 874,000 children, women and men from Ukraine have fled into neighbouring countries in search of safety. While we should  all hope to bring about a swift cessation of hostilities and return to peace, our immediate concern must be the provision of humanitarian support for the Ukrainian people and Europe needs to prepare to welcome refugees,from the Ukraine and other war torn countries. The International Medical Corp is on the ground in Ukraine providing emergency relief services you can support  them here https://internationalmedicalcorps.org/emergency-response/war-in-ukraine/

Anti-war protests and demonstrations against the Russian invasion in Ukraine are being held across the world. Yet President Vladimir Putin, has been ignoring global condemnation, especially from the West, and has defended his actions against Ukraine and said any country that tries to interfere will "face consequences never seen before". It is  of course ironic that Tories have been cheering on protestors in Russia , while passing laws that will bang us up in the UK if we dare to do the same here..

Following days of intensive bombardment, there are fears the Russian president will unleash even greater force against Kvis and other locations in the coming days.

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has warned Mr Putin will seek to "pummel" cities in tactics reminiscent of medieval siege warfare, including a plan to " carpet bomb indiscriininately ".

 "War crimes and crimes against humanity may occur without the head of the state being responsible," he said.

Putin has made it very clear in the way he behaves, and what he says, that he is in control of the state and that  there's a very clear link between what Putin says and does and the crimes on the ground.

Today’s top priority  must be to stop the war, to return Russian troops to base and to start a real peace process.

The immediate cessation of hostilities and a permanent peace must  currently be the objective, once this is achieved, we can then talk of a halt to further Nato expansion that only serves to add fuel to the fire in the region and demand de-escalation and an end to wars and occupations across the world from Yemen to Palestine.

Putin has shown the world  that  he is not to be trifled with, but we cannot allow his  policies that are  shaped by violence to win, there can be no possible justification for dropping explosive weapons  on a school or a hospital, we must demand that Russia end the aggression immediately, protect  civilians and respect international law.If enough of us can raise our voices, perhaps Putin can be persuaded  in these critical times to give Peace a chance and we will not see any further death and destruction.

This beautiful  mural  featuring the colours of the Ukraine flag and its capital has appeared on a street in Cardiff. https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/beautiful-ukraine-tear-street-art-23247337?fbclid=IwAR2aMTLVL7L7X7Bw7BVLvOs7BDpoxrHW5gAaJr3H3PzYfk3dWhQ1a8ne0qo