Paul
Goble
Staunton, August 31 – The organizing
committee of the Russian Anti-War Movement says that “Russian stands at the
brink of catastrophe” following Putin’s introduction of regular Russian army
units into Ukraine, an action that threatens losses equivalent to the war in
Afghanistan, a major military conflict in Europe, and a fratricidal war.
Arguing that Vladimir Putin has
violated the Russian Constitution and committed state crimes, the group calls
on Russians to engage in acts of peaceful civil disobedience to force the
regime to change course, to demand that Russians not be sent to Ukraine to
fight, and to engage in political struggle until the war ends and those
responsible for it are removed from power (www1.kasparov.org/material.php?id=5401F6C1B8CCC).
It reminds Russian soldiers and officers that they have “the
complete right to refuse to obey” illegal orders, that they should not shoot at
their fellow Slavs,and that they should reflect on who is “your true enemy:
those who have converted you into cannon fodder.”
“To
the extent that the continuation of the fratricidal war will inevitably lead to
the disintegration of the country, the loss of state sovereignty and
territorial integrity, the group further calls on Russian military personnel to
“find the strength to fulfill their duty for the defense of the peoples of
Russia!”
And
to the Ukrainians, whom it calls “dear brothers and sisters,” the organizing
group says that “together with you we grieve about those losses which you have
born and continue to bear as a result of the criminal policy of the leadership
of Russia! We hope for the speediest end to the bloodletting on the
much-suffering Ukrainian land!”
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