Dear European friend,
Last week war returned to Europe, leaving us feeling shocked, helpless and heartbroken. Like many of you we’re still struggling to process events each day, from the terror and suffering inflicted on our Ukrainian friends to the shame and dismay of many Russians that are horrified by a war they don’t want but that is being fought in their name.
It’s a dark time for Europe, but there are also moments of light, as across our continent thousands are gathering in squares in solidarity with Ukraine, and as people in Eastern Europe, in particular, are warmly welcoming their Ukrainian neighbours, sometimes offering their own flats to refugees they’ve never met.
Our campaign asks for European solidarity with Scotland, and our focus remains on bringing Scotland back to our European family. But today our hearts are in Ukraine, and our thoughts and love go out to all of you who have friends, family and loved ones caught up in this war. We hope they will stay safe and that you will be reunited with them soon.
We also wanted to share with you a message from our friend Matthew Zajac, a playwright, actor and theatre director. Matthew is a member of Europe for Scotland’s steering committee and, more importantly, the son of a Scottish mother and a father from Halyčyna (Galicia), the region at the border between Poland and Ukraine. You find his message below, alongside statements from some of our friends in Ukraine and Russia.
In European solidarity and friendship,
Europe for Scotland team
“We have arrived at a pivotal moment for the future of Europe and, indeed, the world. Already, there has been an enormous groundswell of sympathy and support across the globe for the struggle of Ukraine. Millions and millions of people now recognise that, as the Russian government of Vladimir Putin has finally revealed its true nature, we are presented with a frightening existential threat to democracy and peace, in Europe and in the world.
Putin’s chilling threat to unleash “consequences that you have never experienced in your history” cannot but force us to pause to consider our response. One must think hard in the face of a bully with a huge nuclear arsenal.
But in a matter of days, since Russia launched its invasion, the whole world has found collective leadership in the resistance of the Ukrainian people. The resolve and determination we are witnessing across Ukraine, in Kharkiv, in Sumy, in Mariupol, in Kherson, in Chernihiv and Dnipro, in Odesa, Lutsk and Lviv is a source of inspiration and an example of how to resist the authoritarian aggression by both military and peaceful means.
It is imperative that we, as democratic Europeans committed to the rule of law, to free speech, inclusivity and environmental protection, now stand together in solidarity with the Ukrainian people and against the unjustifiable military aggression ordered by the Russian president Vladimir Putin.
But this war, immoral, criminal and murderous though it is, can also be seen as an opportunity. We are already witnessing disoriented Russian soldiers who thought they were being sent on a training exercise, a whole armoured brigade laying down their weapons, mass anti-war demonstrations in over 50 Russian cities. Despite the relentless lies of Putin’s propaganda machine, the modern world has made it virtually impossible for his regime to hide the rest of the world from his people and so we can look to the Russian people themselves for hope.
For now, we ask you to support Ukraine, to see Ukraine, like Scotland, as a country working to establish a new, free, democratic order, joining the family of European nations. Now is its hour of need. We encourage you to send money to the range of humanitarian aid contacts at this link. Pass this information on to your own networks. Putin is on the wrong side of history and must not be allowed to win!”
Matthew Zajac
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“We need to stand for all Europe and the whole world before Russian aggression.” – Oksana Dumska, Journalist, Kyiv
“Any one with an ounce of understanding knows that Ukraine is fighting for the entire world from Kyiv to Edinburgh, from Odesa to New York, from Kharkiv to Oslo, from Sumy to Lisbon. It is also clear that the Russian people mostly do not support Putin’s insane war on their brothers and sisters (I still want to believe in this), and Kyiv. He is trying to drag Europe back to its bloodstained past, but the world has changed – most people know now we are one family, living on one planet we must unite to protect. I honestly do not believe he can win. Humanity will prevail.” – Dmytro Drozdovskiy, Editor Vsesvit Literary Magazine, Kyiv
“It is impossible to work for a murderer and take a salary from him.” – Elena Kovalskaya on her resignation as artistic Director of the Meyerhold Theatre & Cultural Centre, Moscow
“On the first day of the invasion my brother and I were shoved into a meat wagon on Pushkin Square in central Moscow. We were kept there for some 3,5 hours with 21 fellow protesters, mostly young people, men and women, two of them handicapped. En route to the police station, in the dark, I sang the Ukrainian anthem. Only one other man knew the words, but the applause was hearty, and we did an encore. Then we had to fill in a lot of protocols at the station, because they’ll be fining us for a start. Lawyers were not allowed to see us, but we ended up safely at home.” – A friend in Moscow who prefers to remain anonymous
“It is now 7 days that I’m hiding with my family (my grandmother, my mother, my younger sister and my two brothers) in a cellar in Kyiv. We have no choice, we have no guarantee that our building will not be bombed. At night, we hear explosions not far away. It’s impossible to sleep. In addition, we are cold, outside it is 2 degrees during the day, at night the temperatures are negative. The cellars are not heated. We would like to have blankets or sleeping bags in addition. We take care of ourselves as best we can. In the shops, there is almost nothing, no flour, no bread, no water, no meat, no cereals, no vegetables, tea, not even sardines… It will be difficult to feed oneself in the coming days if this war continues. We absolutely need to be supplied. Thank you for any support that can be given. Don’t forget us, please. Thank you, Ivan.“ – Ivan (22 years old), Kyiv