Dear Colleagues and Friends,
Ukraine is a peaceful and democratic country that has always respected the sovereignty of its neighbors. In 1994, Ukraine voluntarily surrendered its nuclear weapons based on the assurances of the Budapest Memorandum, in which Russia, the UK, and the US pledged to protect Ukraine’s sovereignty and the integrity of its borders.
In 2014, Russia brutally violated Ukraine's sovereignty by annexing Crimea. Several days ago, Russia started a full-scale military invasion of Ukraine. As rockets blasted throughout the country, the Russian military captured Chernobyl Nuclear Plant, just 130km from Kyiv, further threatening Europe’s safety. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is creating a disastrous humanitarian crisis, undermining peace and stability in Europe.
People all across Ukraine are sheltering underground in attempts to escape the airstrike threats. There are reports of both civilian and military casualties. Thousands of people are displaced in fear of losing their lives, which disproportionately affects the most vulnerable demographics: the elderly population, people with disabilities and health issues, LGBTQIA+, people of color, and low-income groups. As citizens of the Russian Federation and Kazakhstan, we unequivocally condemn this war treacherously started by Vladimir Putin and the Russian government. We stand with the people of Ukraine and join worldwide demands to stop these deadly and infuriating acts of violence immediately.
Support, care, and compassion are the way to safeguard the lives of people in Ukraine, by means available to all of us.
Please consider donating to various fundraisers helping the people of Ukraine to survive this act of aggression:
Humanitarian aid:
Nova Ukraine: https://www.facebook.com/donate/1137971146948461/10161497920013976/; (2)
United Help Ukraine: https://www.facebook.com/donate/337101825010055/ + their PayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=XFYM9KFZ699DC
People in Need: https://www.peopleinneed.net/what-we-do/humanitarian-aid-and-development/ukraine
Razom, the emergency response in Ukraine: https://razomforukraine.org/razom-emergency-response/ + their linktree: https://linktr.ee/RazomForUkraine
A list of charities, donation-based NGOs, private initiatives: https://docs.google.com/document/u/1/d/15eTsCgyH8T3OJSka3UFnw5-XgMu40E74d6Sqg4IxRHw/mobilebasic
Save Life in UA, the Come Back Alive foundation (veteran rehabilitation, relief for the Ukrainian soldiers’ families, etc.) https://savelife.in.ua/
Support the detainees of the anti-war movement and the rule of law in Russia: https://donate.ovdinfo.org/en
Respond Crisis Translation: help asylum seekers through translation if you speak English, as well as Ukrainian and/or Russian: https://respondcrisistranslation.org/en/get-involved
Read and share only verified information about Russia’s attack on Ukraine.
President of Ukraine
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine
Independent media (in English)
https://novayagazeta.ru/ (partly in English)
https://ovdinfo.org/ (partly in English)
More resources on learning about news in Ukraine, curated by the Ukrainian people: https://linktr.ee/resourcesonukraine
List of reporters on the ground, created by Daniel Dale, the CNN reporter: https://twitter.com/ddale8/status/1496696867584987140
Participate in rallies, marches, and community gatherings: https://www.stopputin.net/
Sign the “No War” petition: change.org
Write to your government and politicians to urge strong economic sanctions
Check in with your friends, relatives, colleagues, and students who have connections with Ukraine and Russia — every act of compassion means the whole world right now.
Thank you and #STANDWITHUKRAINE!
Anna Denisenko
Anastasia Gergel
Aleksandr Demin
Ivan Aleksandrov
Dias Akhmetbekov
