We condemn the Russian leadership for invading Ukraine, whatever their pretenses for war.
We condemn the Russian leadership for destroying the lives of ordinary Ukrainians—people otherwise waking up peacefully in the morning, going to their school or workplace, having dinner or going out with friends and family in the evening, and going to bed peacefully at night—and forcing them to spend sleepless nights haunted by fears and anxieties in metro station basements to shelter against missile strikes.
We condemn the Russian leadership for launching a war that heightens the risk of spreading both SARS-CoV-2 infections and radioactive materials from the ruins of the Chernobyl nuclear facility throughout and beyond Ukraine.
We condemn the Russian leadership for misleading people around the world by disseminating fake news in cyberspace, proliferating propaganda, and misusing history for their political aims and nationalist ideology.
We condemn the Russian leadership for regulating free speech in Russia to suppress voices against the war.
We condemn the Russian leadership for provoking the forceful expulsion of people from their home soil, creating millions of refugees who will lose their homes, jobs, and families as they try to escape the attack and the threat of oppression under an ensuing occupation, and subjecting these deracinated people to the political maneuvering of the Great Powers.
We express our solidarity with the Ukrainian people, who are aspiring to peace in these dire conditions and are making efforts to maintain their dignity and preserve everyday life by supporting each other.
We express our respect for the Russian people who are bravely raising their voices against the war and expressing their solidarity with Ukraine, despite the severe crackdown.
We express our solidarity with people all over the world who feel the Ukrainians’ pain and suffering as their own and are raising their voices against the war.
Kyoto University Campaign for Freedom and Peace
26/02/2022