March 24 ...

A month of tears, fear, anxiety, despair, heroism, hope, love, faith and struggle of Ukraine for its independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity against Russia.

On February 24, 2022 Russia has started a war of aggression against the Ukrainian State and its people.

In unleashing the full-scale war at the very heart of Europe the Russian Federation has brazenly rejected guiding principles that kept peace across the continent for decades and has chosen brutal violence, using weapons of indiscriminate nature and prohibited arms, provoking refugee crisis not seen in Europe since World War II, committing crimes against humanity on large scale. These actions are in gross violation of the Charter of the United Nations and constitute a major threat to international peace and security architecture of the whole world.

Now a month has passed. It is a lifetime in a month. And Ukraine stands firm, successfully defends itself and continues giving birth to children, who will rebuild Ukraine and will defend not only our country, but also the whole civilized world from any invasion in the future. The whole international community is amazed: Russia has spent plenty of money on weaponry and armaments for many years, the Russian Government threw away its petrodollars not for the welfare of the people, but for the sake of the army, for the sake of being widely known as the most powerful army in the world, the army that in reality proves its incompetence day by day! The myth of the indomitable and undefeated Russian army has been dispelled. It is enshrined as a fact: the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation are not powerful, they are numerous. During only a month of war Russia had lost an enormous amount of military hardware, including: 101 aircrafts, 124 helicopters, 517 tanks, 1578 armored fighting vehicles, 1008 military vehicles, 42 UAVs, 4 ships / boats, 267 artillery systems, 80 multiple launch rocket system (MLRS) and 47 anti-aircraft warfare systems. But even more terrifying is the number of Russian soldiers who have lost lives or ruined health during this time. More than 15 000 soldiers whose lives were wasted for nothing, for the sake of sick and aggressive Russia`s plans. The figures are comparable to the losses of the Soviet army during 10 years of war in Afghanistan. And all of these military personnel and equipment were sent to peace-loving country to kill Ukrainians, wipe out their gorgeous cities and, most importantly, demolish the Ukrainian nationality that constitute, by its nature, the crime of genocide of the Ukrainian people.

Faced with military defeats, losses of personnel and strong resistance, the Russian troops began indiscriminate attacks on Ukrainian cities with missile strikes and heavy artillery. Being aware that it will not be able to win this war, Russia deliberately destroys Ukraine’s infrastructure while consciously spreading fakes about the use by the Armed Forces of Ukraine of the civilian objects as shields for their positions, storages, etc. Since the start of war, Russia has sent more than thousand missiles to the residential areas, targeting the objects of critical infrastructure, as well as port infrastructure along the coasts of the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, and nature and biosphere reserves and national nature parks, making it impossible for civilians to survive. The leadership of the aggressor country assures that it is fighting Ukrainian nationalists and protecting the Russian-speaking people of Ukraine, but the resistance of the largest Russian-speaking regions of Ukraine (Kharkov, Mariupol, Sumy, Dnipro, Kryvyi Rig and others) refutes these fake statements. The worst situation remains in the besieged Russian-speaking city of Mariupol, which is now almost destroyed. Daily, 50-100 aviation bombs are dropped by Russians on this city wiping it out of existence. Thousands of civilians lost their lives due to Russian attacks and blockade with more than 120 children killed. And here we face the question: can a drama theatre, a maternity hospital, an art school and a hospital, as well as objects of the World Heritage List be considered as the strategic military objects, which according to the statements of the top Russian leadership are threatening their territory?

The responsibility for starting a full-scale war against Ukraine and the crime of genocide against Ukrainians completely lies upon Russia, its top leadership and, without any doubt, – its nationals, with 71% of them supporting this war and mass killings of Ukrainians. This is shared responsibility. Russian soldiers murder Ukrainian citizens, Russian journalists make propaganda, Russian officials and enterprises work to support Putin’s decisions. This is not a one man show. Moreover, according to a case study conducted and published on 16 March by Active Group, 86.6% of Russians support the idea of Russian aggression against EU countries, that is the consequence of the false propaganda during the last 30 years. The Russian Federation, its officials, military personnel and literally everyone who made possible the mere fact of invading the territory of Ukraine must be brough to justice.

Today Ukraine receives unprecedented and comprehensive support from international partners. The level of international solidarity is unbelievable. Ukraine will undoubtedly win the war. Ukraine didn’t launch it, but Ukraine will finish it. Ukrainians have made their choice a long time ago: it is free, independent and prosperous Ukraine. This is the goal Ukrainians are ready to fight for till the end and whatever it takes. And this is not about slogans. This is what Ukrainians do every day, meticulously and tirelessly defending every tiny patch of the Ukrainian land.

Ukraine will win, because it is struggling for its freedom and independency.

Stand with Ukraine!

Article by Chargé d'Affaires of Ukraine in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Serhii Pushkarskyi