Dear friends and partners,
On February 24, 2022 Russia invaded Ukraine under the absurd pretext of total “denazification” and “demilitarization” of the sovereign, independent and democratic state. Since then Russian forces have been constantly firing rockets, including ballistic ones, cruise missiles, and artillery shells at the Ukrainian territory.
This Russian invasion has caused one of the biggest humanitarian crises in Europe since WWII not only by the mere fact of bringing war to peaceful Ukrainian cities, but also by targeted destruction of the civilian infrastructure and residential areas. According to the latest official updates, over 2,000 civilians, including 34 children, were killed by the Russian army; more than 1,500,000 refugees left the country. Some Ukrainian cities were leveled with the ground by the Russian military, many are on the edge of the humanitarian crisis and urgently need establishment of “humanitarian corridors” to evacuate civilians.
One of the biggest dangers of the current situation is nuclear safety. Currently, both Chernobyl and Zaporizhia energy plants are controlled by the Russian forces. On March 4, 2022 Zaporizhzhia NPP was shelled and taken under Russian control after a fire broke out in the perimeter of the station. Zaporizhia NPP is the largest nuclear power plant in Europe, consisting of 6 energy blocks. This highly irresponsible and deviant behavior endangers not only Europe, but the whole world, as the consequences of a disaster near any of these nuclear objects cannot even be predicted, and thus, prevented.
In these tough times, we as representatives of the civil society of Ukraine appeal to international partners and decision-makers to act firmly against Russian aggression. Current sanctions imposed by the US, the EU, and other countries against the Russian and Belarussian economy have become unprecedented in the recent history of global powers and have already brought a crushing blow to the Russian economy. However, this is still not enough to stop Russian aggression against Ukraine and prevent thousands of casualties in Ukraine!
Therefore, Transparency International Ukraine calls on the European Union, the United States, NATO and other countries around the world to do everything that is in their powers to:
1) Introduce a no-flight zone (NFZ) over Ukraine or at least above certain parts of the Kyiv-controlled territory, including above objects of strategic infrastructure.
2) Provide military equipment to support the Ukrainian Army, especially aircraft, anti-aircraft and anti-missile defense systems.
3) Introduce a full-scale embargo on Russian oil exports and other Russian goods.
5) Call back diplomats from Moscow and stop the relationship with Russia.
6) Freeze Russian oligarchs’ and politicians’ assets, lift their visas and residence permits.
7) Impose a ban on the entry of all Russian ships, including merchant in European ports.
8) Apply maximum isolation of Russia by all political, economic, social, cultural, and sports organizations.
We ask and count on our partners in the EU, the United States, NATO and all over the globe to enforce the exhaustive set of sanctions and apply all possible measures to immediately respond and stop Russian aggression! In these tough times, the world needs to be united as never before in the 21st century. We all have to act now with all the resources we have!
#IsolateRussia
#StandWithUkraine
#CloseTheSky
#BlockPutinWallets
