We are witnessing from afar the horrors of the current situation in Ukraine and are both devastated and furious about the continued onslaught your beautiful country is experiencing.
Please believe that we are thinking of you all, the outstanding work you do, your families, institutions and cultural richness you bring to the world at this time. We are lighting up our City Hall in the colours of the Ukrainian flag, sharing stories of Ukraine’s vibrant national and international cultural life, celebrating the art and literature your country has generated and ensuring our elected representatives understand the strength of our feelings and our desire for action from the global community.
This all seems rather insignificant in the face of this new Russian invasion, but while Norwich might not be able to change the material circumstances you are facing, we will offer all the support we are able to as a sister UNESCO City of Literature at this time and in the years ahead.
Yours sincerely, Councillor Alan Waters,
Councillor Dr Kevin Mag
http://cityofliterature.lviv.ua/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/logo-300x100.png00adminhttp://cityofliterature.lviv.ua/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/logo-300x100.pngadmin2022-03-01 20:19:062022-03-01 20:19:06Alan Waters, Norwich City Council, #standwithUkraine!
In our country – Ukraine – we, civilians, are forced to risk and to face the Russian military demanding to go away – how it was in Berdiansk today. Now we have to… no! we are forced to hide in shelters from bombs several times a day and night. We are forced to leave our homes and become refugees. And the worst is that we lose the lives of Ukrainian people because of the war, which the Russian Federation opened out against Ukraine – at least 352 Ukrainians have died, 2040 people have been injured…
Here upon we are forced to protect our cultural heritage, because the aggressor can destroy it – as Maria Prymachenko Museum in Kyiv region was destroyed and Lysohub’s family country seat in Chernihiv region was robbed. And we worry about our nature and the future of Europe and all humankind after Russian troops took over the Chornobyl nuclear power plant, the site of a 1986 nuclear disaster.
We thank the whole civilized world, foreign governments and each person for supporting us, Ukrainian people, in different ways. Our struggle, that lasts the 5th day, is a struggle for our common future as an independent world, where every human life is valuable, and the principles of peaceful coexistence are inviolable!
War against culture?
Today, February 28th, the world heard about the destruction of the Maria Prymachenko Museum in Ivankiv – a prominent world-renowned naїve artist. 2009 was declared by UNESCO as the Year of Maria Prymachenko. Information on the number of survived works is still to be clarified, however this is an irreparable loss for the historical and cultural heritage of the world.
The Minister of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine Oleksandr Tkachenko appealed to UNESCO to deprive Russia of the status of UNESCO member and change the host country of the 45th session of the World Heritage Committee. Since 2014, Russia has been systematically violating international humanitarian law and international conventions on the protection of cultural heritage, particularly on the Crimean peninsula. Its actions have already damaged the ancient city of Tavrian Chersonese. According to Ukrainian law, deliberate destruction of cultural institutions is classified as a criminal offense under Article 298 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine; according to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court – war crime.
We do expect that the Ukrainian side will receive an answer and a decision on this issue as soon as possible.
Boycott of Russian culture!
The Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine demands to add cultural sanctions among political, economic and sports one, thus to limit the cultural presence of the Russian Federation in the international arena.
On behalf of Ukraine and partner countries, which uphold humanism, peace and orderliness in the world, the Ministry claims:
cancel all projects Russia is involved in, and projects that have funding of Russian origin, ban the work of Russian cultural centers in the territory of partner countries, and refuse sponsorship and organizational support. Also cancel Russia’s participation in international festivals, exhibitions, forums and art events, including the Venice Biennale, Cannes Film Festival and others (as it is already canceled in Eurovision and Frankfurt Book Fair).
By this time we’ve got 1400 signatories. Join and sign the petition here (also available in German, French, Italian and English).
The Ukrainian Film Academy, the membership body of film professionals and cultural figures from across the country, has released a petition calling for an international boycott of Russian cinema. Specifically, the letter asks the Council of Europe to exclude Russia from funding body Eurimages as well as the European Convention on Cinematographic Co-Production, and for the International Federation of Film Producers Associations to deprive the Moscow International Film Festival of accreditation.
Finally, it asks the European Audiovisual Production association аnd the European Federation for Commercial Film Producers to cease cooperation with “audiovisual producers who support aggression against Ukraine”. Read about the petition on change.org here.
Opposition to Russian culture is taking place in the Ukrainian culture field – a petition for reorganizing The Lesya Ukrainka National Academic Russian Drama Theater is underway right now. It is an old-established symbol of the aggressor country, which systematically violates the Law of Ukraine “On Ensuring the Functioning of the Ukrainian Language as the State Language”. #banrussianculture is an ongoing movement for protecting Ukraine from russia-related culture.
How you can help Ukraine and a future
А special fundraising account to support the Armed Forces of Ukraine from The National Bank of Ukraine accepts multiple currencies (U.S. dollars, euros, UK pounds, hryvnias). And here is info about an opportunity to support the Ukrainian military through the Come Back Alive, the foundation providing support to the Ukrainian Armed Forces since 2014.
You can help Ukraine in different ways. Here it is!
Important to know
– Another restless night (and restless day)
During the last day the sirens can be heard in Kyiv, Poltava, Vinnytsia, Dnipro, Chernihiv, Kharkiv, Zhytomyr, Cherkasy, Khmelnytskyi Okhtyrka, Pryluky, Mariupol… The citizens were forced to hide in shelters. In various cities, residential buildings and civil infrastructure are destroyed or damaged, there were several fires. So, in Chernihiv, as a result of night attacks by the Russian military the apartment house, kindergarten, shop burned.
– On the verge of a humanitarian catastrophe
Shchastia and Stanytsia Luhanska (Luhansk region) are on the verge of a humanitarian catastrophe. The towns are occupied and almost destroyed, having been almost leveled to the ground by Russian invaders. Private houses and flat blocks, as well as important infrastructure have all been severely damaged by shelling. Citizens of these towns have been sheltering in basements for days. The local authorities said they can’t evacuate the civilians or even bring them bread and water. This morning Mariupol and Volnovakha remain the hottest spots in the Donetsk region.
– The situation in Chornobyl
The Chornobyl nuclear power plant was captured by Russian troops on February 25. Monitoring data showed a radiation spike in this territory the next day, caused by movement of a large number of heavy machinery. The condition of Chornobyl nuclear facilities and other facilities is unchanged, Ukraine’s State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate reported.
The Russian occupiers threatened to blow up some of the infrastructure of the Chornobyl NPP. Violation of the integrity of the New Safe Confinement at the NPP (a structure confining the remains of the number 4 reactor unit at the Chernobyl NPP) could lead to the release of radioactive dust into the environment, which mean danger for a local Chornobyl and Exclusion Zone workers, pollution of Pripyat and Dnipro rivers and agricultural lands, scientists explain.
Voices of the world
Jim Carrey, actor: It breaks my heart to see innocent people (especially children) put in harm’s way by yet another of history’s grandiose political jerks. Beware the unloved.
Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively, actors, announced Saturday on their social media pages that they are pledging to match donations, up to $1 million, to support refugees. “In 48 hours, countless Ukrainians were forced to flee their homes to neighboring countries. They need protection,” Reynolds tweeted.
PEN-International:
To our friends and colleagues in Ukraine,
We, writers all around the world, are appalled by violence unleashed by Russian forces against Ukraine and urgently call for the end of bloodshed. We stand united in condemnation of a senseless war, waged by President Putin’s refusal to accept the rights of Ukraine’s people to debate their future allegiance and history without Moscow’s interference. We stand united in support of writers, journalists, artists, and all the people of Ukraine, who are living through their darkest hours. We stand by you and feel your pain.
All individuals have a right to peace, free expression, and free assembly. Putin’s war is an attack on democracy and freedom not just in Ukraine, but around the world. We stand united in calling for peace and for an end to the propaganda that is fueling the violence. There can be no free and safe Europe without a free and independent Ukraine.
Peace must prevail.
Margaret Atwood, writer:
Over 100000 people marched in Berlin, supporting Ukraine. The crowd of protesters bearing signs reading: “Stop the War”, “Putin’s last war” and “We stand with Ukraine” along with Ukrainian and European Union flags, extended from the Victory Column in the heart of the capital.
Author: Sean Gallup
2022 Getty Images / СNN
We have a great video: French artists express support for the Ukrainian people! Merci la France! 💗
We, the representatives of the cultural community of Lviv (CultureHeadquarters), receive a lot of supportive letters addressed both to us personally and Ukrainian people! From the USA to Australia, from Israel to Great Britain – all around the world we see the mass protests against Russian invasion of Ukraine and killing Ukrainians! Thank you for your support – words, finances, humanitarian aid, spreading of information.
As well, we receive dozens of questions from different countries – so we launch a regular digest on the current situation in Ukraine, ways how to help Ukrainians, the world’s positions on Russia’s war against Ukraine. It’s not the “russian-ukrainian conflict” (as some world media define) – it’s a Russian aggression (with the support of the self-proclaimed President of Belarus), Russian war against Ukraine as a sovereign, independent democratic state.
How you can help Ukraine and a future
The National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) opened a special fundraising account to support the Armed Forces of Ukraine.The number of the special account: UA843000010000000047330992708.This account accepts multiple currencies. It has been established and opened to receive transfers from international partners and donors in both foreign currency (U.S. dollars, euros, UK pounds) and hryvnias. You can find details on NBU web-site.
You can help Ukraine in different ways: to donate, to influence authorities directly, to sign the petition, to join a protest, to help Ukrainian refugees, to ban Russian propaganda. Here is!
The current situation in Ukraine
Because of the war, Ukrainian children are born in shelters! Because of the war, Ukrainian children are dying on the streets of peaceful Ukrainian cities from attacks by the Russian military!
According to official information, the intervention of Russian troops on the territory of Ukraine led to the following consequences:
Killing civilians
As of February 26, 352 Ukrainians, including 14 children (in Chuhuiv, Kharkiv region; Oleshky, Kherson region), had died from the hands of Russian invaders. 1,684 people have been injured, 116 children among them, informed the Ministry of Health of Ukraine. Today morning, February 26, a family with two civilians and their daughter were shot in Kyiv – a capital of freeedom, like someone titled the city.
Refugee and internally displaced people problem:
The United Nations has estimated that about 100,000 Ukrainians have already been displaced as a result of the Russian invasion, and that number could ultimately grow to 1 to 5 million. Receiving countries include Poland, which is planning to accommodate up to 1 million Ukrainians, as well as Romania, Hungary, Slovakia, and Moldova.
Killing our Dream
On February 27th Russian air forces destroyed the Mriia “Dream” – biggest transport plane in the world by now (AN-225), made in Ukraine. This happened during another air attack in Bucha, Kyiv district. “Russia aimed Mriia (“Dream”) as a symbol of Ukrainian Aviation power. AN-225 is an aviation giant, recorded as a maximum capacity plane as well as the longest and heaviest cargo flights ever made”.
Ukrainian lawyers identify and gather the facts of International Humanitarian Law violation: Civilian lives and civilian infrastructure must be protected and safeguarded at all times. The violence must be condemned by the world community, and criminals – representatives of the Russian state, who started the war against Ukraine – are punished by an international tribunal.
Today Ukraine has filed a lawsuit against Russia in the UN International Court of Justice in The Hague. “Ukraine has submitted its application against Russia to the ICJ. Russia must be held accountable for manipulating the notion of genocide to justify aggression. We request an urgent decision ordering Russia to stop military activity now and expect trials to start next week,” said Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the President of Ukraine.
The war has affected each and every part of Ukraine – even the westest. We are writing to you from Lviv, which is now the biggest center to help refugees – for now we have welcomed more than 30 000 people. But still, we are worried here as well. Alert sirens woke us up yesterday and the day before. Civilians help police by signing into territory defense, we volunteer, prepare Molotov’s cocktails and self-organize whole districts or neighborhoods – these times defense is everyone’s business. In unity is our strength and we are ready as never before!
Kyiv, Ukraine, February 27, 2022. Preparation for street defense. Author: Mikhail Palinchak
You can check the information and learn about common fakes and manipulations that Russia throws into the information space of Ukraine on the websites of fact-checking organizations:
David Lynch, Film Director: If I could say something to Mr. President Putin, we are, as human beings, charged as to how we treat our fellow man. And there is a law of nature, a hard and fast law. There’s no loopholes, there’s no escaping it, and this law is: What you sow, you shall reap. And right now, Mr. Putin, you are sowing death and destruction, and it’s all on you.”
Lynch continued, “The Ukrainians didn’t attack your country. You went in and attacked their country. And all this death and destruction is going to come back and visit you.” (Source: IndieWire.com).
Andriy Kurkov, Writer: Well, my only hope is that the world finds a way to stop Putin and to leave Ukraine in peace because his goal is to destroy the country and to destroy Ukrainian independence. And if it happens, then half of the country will leave to Europe — they’ll be immigrants or refugees — and everything that will remain will be destroyed by the Russians who’ll behave like Bolsheviks in 1919. (Source:New York Times).
Pope Francisco: The Pope appealed “to those with political responsibility to examine their consciences seriously before God, who is the God of peace and not of war.” And he called on believers and non-believers alike to unite in a joint supplication for peace next 2 March, Ash Wednesday, by praying and fasting. “Jesus taught us that the diabolical senselessness of violence is answered with God’s weapons, with prayer and fasting,” the Pontiff said. “I invite everyone to make next 2 March, Ash Wednesday, a Day of Fasting for Peace. I encourage believers in a special way to dedicate themselves intensely to prayer and fasting on that day. May the Queen of Peace preserve the world from the madness of war.” (Vatican News)
CultureHeadquarters
Cultural Strategy Institute
Lviv City of Literature
Hnat Khotkevych Palace Of Culture
NGO “Virmenska 35” (“ВІРМЕНСЬКА-35”), Lviv opened a special fundraising account to support the Armed Forces of Ukraine, mentioning purpose as “charity” and “non-refundable financial aid”. Account details:
EDRPOU Code 25250726
UA593052990000026006011016198 UAH
UA943052990000026003011026437 EUR
UA253052990000026007001023060 USD
https://cityofliterature.lviv.ua/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/fme22guwuaylbrf.jpeg7201280adminhttp://cityofliterature.lviv.ua/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/logo-300x100.pngadmin2022-02-27 18:34:572022-03-01 18:43:16#standwithUkraine Day 1.
Alan Waters, Norwich City Council, #standwithUkraine!
/в #standwithukraine /від adminDear Friends and Colleagues,
We are witnessing from afar the horrors of the current situation in Ukraine and are both devastated and furious about the continued onslaught your beautiful country is experiencing.
Please believe that we are thinking of you all, the outstanding work you do, your families, institutions and cultural richness you bring to the world at this time. We are lighting up our City Hall in the colours of the Ukrainian flag, sharing stories of Ukraine’s vibrant national and international cultural life, celebrating the art and literature your country has generated and ensuring our elected representatives understand the strength of our feelings and our desire for action from the global community.
This all seems rather insignificant in the face of this new Russian invasion, but while Norwich might not be able to change the material circumstances you are facing, we will offer all the support we are able to as a sister UNESCO City of Literature at this time and in the years ahead.
Yours sincerely, Councillor Alan Waters,
Councillor Dr Kevin Mag
#StandWithUkraine Day2
/в #standwithukraine, Львів /від admin#StandWithUkraine!
In our country – Ukraine – we, civilians, are forced to risk and to face the Russian military demanding to go away – how it was in Berdiansk today. Now we have to… no! we are forced to hide in shelters from bombs several times a day and night. We are forced to leave our homes and become refugees. And the worst is that we lose the lives of Ukrainian people because of the war, which the Russian Federation opened out against Ukraine – at least 352 Ukrainians have died, 2040 people have been injured…
Here upon we are forced to protect our cultural heritage, because the aggressor can destroy it – as Maria Prymachenko Museum in Kyiv region was destroyed and Lysohub’s family country seat in Chernihiv region was robbed. And we worry about our nature and the future of Europe and all humankind after Russian troops took over the Chornobyl nuclear power plant, the site of a 1986 nuclear disaster.
We thank the whole civilized world, foreign governments and each person for supporting us, Ukrainian people, in different ways. Our struggle, that lasts the 5th day, is a struggle for our common future as an independent world, where every human life is valuable, and the principles of peaceful coexistence are inviolable!
War against culture?
Today, February 28th, the world heard about the destruction of the Maria Prymachenko Museum in Ivankiv – a prominent world-renowned naїve artist. 2009 was declared by UNESCO as the Year of Maria Prymachenko. Information on the number of survived works is still to be clarified, however this is an irreparable loss for the historical and cultural heritage of the world.
The Minister of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine Oleksandr Tkachenko appealed to UNESCO to deprive Russia of the status of UNESCO member and change the host country of the 45th session of the World Heritage Committee. Since 2014, Russia has been systematically violating international humanitarian law and international conventions on the protection of cultural heritage, particularly on the Crimean peninsula. Its actions have already damaged the ancient city of Tavrian Chersonese. According to Ukrainian law, deliberate destruction of cultural institutions is classified as a criminal offense under Article 298 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine; according to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court – war crime.
We do expect that the Ukrainian side will receive an answer and a decision on this issue as soon as possible.
Boycott of Russian culture!
The Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine demands to add cultural sanctions among political, economic and sports one, thus to limit the cultural presence of the Russian Federation in the international arena.
On behalf of Ukraine and partner countries, which uphold humanism, peace and orderliness in the world, the Ministry claims:
cancel all projects Russia is involved in, and projects that have funding of Russian origin, ban the work of Russian cultural centers in the territory of partner countries, and refuse sponsorship and organizational support. Also cancel Russia’s participation in international festivals, exhibitions, forums and art events, including the Venice Biennale, Cannes Film Festival and others (as it is already canceled in Eurovision and Frankfurt Book Fair).
By this time we’ve got 1400 signatories. Join and sign the petition here (also available in German, French, Italian and English).
author: Myroslav Trofymuk
Cinema and audiovisual field
The Ukrainian Film Academy, the membership body of film professionals and cultural figures from across the country, has released a petition calling for an international boycott of Russian cinema. Specifically, the letter asks the Council of Europe to exclude Russia from funding body Eurimages as well as the European Convention on Cinematographic Co-Production, and for the International Federation of Film Producers Associations to deprive the Moscow International Film Festival of accreditation.
Finally, it asks the European Audiovisual Production association аnd the European Federation for Commercial Film Producers to cease cooperation with “audiovisual producers who support aggression against Ukraine”. Read about the petition on change.org here.
Opposition to Russian culture is taking place in the Ukrainian culture field – a petition for reorganizing The Lesya Ukrainka National Academic Russian Drama Theater is underway right now. It is an old-established symbol of the aggressor country, which systematically violates the Law of Ukraine “On Ensuring the Functioning of the Ukrainian Language as the State Language”. #banrussianculture is an ongoing movement for protecting Ukraine from russia-related culture.
How you can help Ukraine and a future
А special fundraising account to support the Armed Forces of Ukraine from The National Bank of Ukraine accepts multiple currencies (U.S. dollars, euros, UK pounds, hryvnias). And here is info about an opportunity to support the Ukrainian military through the Come Back Alive, the foundation providing support to the Ukrainian Armed Forces since 2014.
You can help Ukraine in different ways. Here it is!
Important to know
– Another restless night (and restless day)
During the last day the sirens can be heard in Kyiv, Poltava, Vinnytsia, Dnipro, Chernihiv, Kharkiv, Zhytomyr, Cherkasy, Khmelnytskyi Okhtyrka, Pryluky, Mariupol… The citizens were forced to hide in shelters. In various cities, residential buildings and civil infrastructure are destroyed or damaged, there were several fires. So, in Chernihiv, as a result of night attacks by the Russian military the apartment house, kindergarten, shop burned.
– On the verge of a humanitarian catastrophe
Shchastia and Stanytsia Luhanska (Luhansk region) are on the verge of a humanitarian catastrophe. The towns are occupied and almost destroyed, having been almost leveled to the ground by Russian invaders. Private houses and flat blocks, as well as important infrastructure have all been severely damaged by shelling. Citizens of these towns have been sheltering in basements for days. The local authorities said they can’t evacuate the civilians or even bring them bread and water. This morning Mariupol and Volnovakha remain the hottest spots in the Donetsk region.
– The situation in Chornobyl
The Chornobyl nuclear power plant was captured by Russian troops on February 25. Monitoring data showed a radiation spike in this territory the next day, caused by movement of a large number of heavy machinery. The condition of Chornobyl nuclear facilities and other facilities is unchanged, Ukraine’s State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate reported.
The Russian occupiers threatened to blow up some of the infrastructure of the Chornobyl NPP. Violation of the integrity of the New Safe Confinement at the NPP (a structure confining the remains of the number 4 reactor unit at the Chernobyl NPP) could lead to the release of radioactive dust into the environment, which mean danger for a local Chornobyl and Exclusion Zone workers, pollution of Pripyat and Dnipro rivers and agricultural lands, scientists explain.
Voices of the world
Jim Carrey, actor: It breaks my heart to see innocent people (especially children) put in harm’s way by yet another of history’s grandiose political jerks. Beware the unloved.
Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively, actors, announced Saturday on their social media pages that they are pledging to match donations, up to $1 million, to support refugees. “In 48 hours, countless Ukrainians were forced to flee their homes to neighboring countries. They need protection,” Reynolds tweeted.
PEN-International:
To our friends and colleagues in Ukraine,
We, writers all around the world, are appalled by violence unleashed by Russian forces against Ukraine and urgently call for the end of bloodshed. We stand united in condemnation of a senseless war, waged by President Putin’s refusal to accept the rights of Ukraine’s people to debate their future allegiance and history without Moscow’s interference. We stand united in support of writers, journalists, artists, and all the people of Ukraine, who are living through their darkest hours. We stand by you and feel your pain.
All individuals have a right to peace, free expression, and free assembly. Putin’s war is an attack on democracy and freedom not just in Ukraine, but around the world. We stand united in calling for peace and for an end to the propaganda that is fueling the violence. There can be no free and safe Europe without a free and independent Ukraine.
Peace must prevail.
Margaret Atwood, writer:
Over 100000 people marched in Berlin, supporting Ukraine. The crowd of protesters bearing signs reading: “Stop the War”, “Putin’s last war” and “We stand with Ukraine” along with Ukrainian and European Union flags, extended from the Victory Column in the heart of the capital.
Author: Sean Gallup
2022 Getty Images / СNN
We have a great video: French artists express support for the Ukrainian people! Merci la France! 💗
CultureHeadquarters
Cultural Strategy Institute
Lviv City of Literature
Hnat Khotkevych Palace Of Culture
#standwithUkraine Day 1.
/в #standwithukraine /від adminDear friends and colleagues!
We, the representatives of the cultural community of Lviv (CultureHeadquarters), receive a lot of supportive letters addressed both to us personally and Ukrainian people! From the USA to Australia, from Israel to Great Britain – all around the world we see the mass protests against Russian invasion of Ukraine and killing Ukrainians! Thank you for your support – words, finances, humanitarian aid, spreading of information.
As well, we receive dozens of questions from different countries – so we launch a regular digest on the current situation in Ukraine, ways how to help Ukrainians, the world’s positions on Russia’s war against Ukraine. It’s not the “russian-ukrainian conflict” (as some world media define) – it’s a Russian aggression (with the support of the self-proclaimed President of Belarus), Russian war against Ukraine as a sovereign, independent democratic state.
How you can help Ukraine and a future
The National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) opened a special fundraising account to support the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The number of the special account: UA843000010000000047330992708. This account accepts multiple currencies. It has been established and opened to receive transfers from international partners and donors in both foreign currency (U.S. dollars, euros, UK pounds) and hryvnias. You can find details on NBU web-site.
You can help Ukraine in different ways: to donate, to influence authorities directly, to sign the petition, to join a protest, to help Ukrainian refugees, to ban Russian propaganda. Here is!
The current situation in Ukraine
Because of the war, Ukrainian children are born in shelters! Because of the war, Ukrainian children are dying on the streets of peaceful Ukrainian cities from attacks by the Russian military!
According to official information, the intervention of Russian troops on the territory of Ukraine led to the following consequences:
As of February 26, 352 Ukrainians, including 14 children (in Chuhuiv, Kharkiv region; Oleshky, Kherson region), had died from the hands of Russian invaders. 1,684 people have been injured, 116 children among them, informed the Ministry of Health of Ukraine. Today morning, February 26, a family with two civilians and their daughter were shot in Kyiv – a capital of freeedom, like someone titled the city.
The United Nations has estimated that about 100,000 Ukrainians have already been displaced as a result of the Russian invasion, and that number could ultimately grow to 1 to 5 million. Receiving countries include Poland, which is planning to accommodate up to 1 million Ukrainians, as well as Romania, Hungary, Slovakia, and Moldova.
On February 27th Russian air forces destroyed the Mriia “Dream” – biggest transport plane in the world by now (AN-225), made in Ukraine. This happened during another air attack in Bucha, Kyiv district. “Russia aimed Mriia (“Dream”) as a symbol of Ukrainian Aviation power. AN-225 is an aviation giant, recorded as a maximum capacity plane as well as the longest and heaviest cargo flights ever made”.
Ukrainian lawyers identify and gather the facts of International Humanitarian Law violation: Civilian lives and civilian infrastructure must be protected and safeguarded at all times. The violence must be condemned by the world community, and criminals – representatives of the Russian state, who started the war against Ukraine – are punished by an international tribunal.
Today Ukraine has filed a lawsuit against Russia in the UN International Court of Justice in The Hague. “Ukraine has submitted its application against Russia to the ICJ. Russia must be held accountable for manipulating the notion of genocide to justify aggression. We request an urgent decision ordering Russia to stop military activity now and expect trials to start next week,” said Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the President of Ukraine.
The war has affected each and every part of Ukraine – even the westest. We are writing to you from Lviv, which is now the biggest center to help refugees – for now we have welcomed more than 30 000 people. But still, we are worried here as well. Alert sirens woke us up yesterday and the day before. Civilians help police by signing into territory defense, we volunteer, prepare Molotov’s cocktails and self-organize whole districts or neighborhoods – these times defense is everyone’s business. In unity is our strength and we are ready as never before!
More information about a situation in Ukraine
(recommended by Lviv Media Forum):
You can check the information and learn about common fakes and manipulations that Russia throws into the information space of Ukraine on the websites of fact-checking organizations:
Ukrainian media whose information can be trusted:
Voices of the world
David Lynch, Film Director: If I could say something to Mr. President Putin, we are, as human beings, charged as to how we treat our fellow man. And there is a law of nature, a hard and fast law. There’s no loopholes, there’s no escaping it, and this law is: What you sow, you shall reap. And right now, Mr. Putin, you are sowing death and destruction, and it’s all on you.”
Lynch continued, “The Ukrainians didn’t attack your country. You went in and attacked their country. And all this death and destruction is going to come back and visit you.” (Source: IndieWire.com).
Andriy Kurkov, Writer: Well, my only hope is that the world finds a way to stop Putin and to leave Ukraine in peace because his goal is to destroy the country and to destroy Ukrainian independence. And if it happens, then half of the country will leave to Europe — they’ll be immigrants or refugees — and everything that will remain will be destroyed by the Russians who’ll behave like Bolsheviks in 1919. (Source: New York Times).
Pope Francisco: The Pope appealed “to those with political responsibility to examine their consciences seriously before God, who is the God of peace and not of war.” And he called on believers and non-believers alike to unite in a joint supplication for peace next 2 March, Ash Wednesday, by praying and fasting. “Jesus taught us that the diabolical senselessness of violence is answered with God’s weapons, with prayer and fasting,” the Pontiff said. “I invite everyone to make next 2 March, Ash Wednesday, a Day of Fasting for Peace. I encourage believers in a special way to dedicate themselves intensely to prayer and fasting on that day. May the Queen of Peace preserve the world from the madness of war.” (Vatican News)
CultureHeadquarters
Cultural Strategy Institute
Lviv City of Literature
Hnat Khotkevych Palace Of Culture
NGO “Virmenska 35” (“ВІРМЕНСЬКА-35”), Lviv opened a special fundraising account to support the Armed Forces of Ukraine, mentioning purpose as “charity” and “non-refundable financial aid”. Account details:
EDRPOU Code 25250726
UA593052990000026006011016198 UAH
UA943052990000026003011026437 EUR
UA253052990000026007001023060 USD