An appeal to the international community on the one-year anniversary of the full-scale Russian war against Ukraine

In 2014, Russia brazenly breached international law, human rights, and principles of sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity when it used force to violate the national borders of the Ukrainian state. Russia’s violations and warfare continued from 2014-2022  leading to the death of close to 14 thousand people.

On February 24,  2022, eight years of Russian-directed military conflict escalated into an unprovoked and unjustified full-scale invasion of Ukraine. 

Russia’s unjust and vile war in Ukraine is the largest conflict and security threat in Europe since World War II. Over the last year, more than seven thousand Ukrainian civilians have died, including at least 500 children.  Russian aggression has resulted in thousands of destroyed lives, ruined cities, and millions of Ukrainian refugees and internally displaced persons. The world has witnessed Vladimir Putin and Russia’s daily brutality and war crimes  – torture, rape, executions, forced deportations, kidnapping, including of children, and countless attacks on homes, schools, churches and museums by Russian militaries. There have also been unrelenting and calculated attacks on Ukraine’s economy, energy and critical infrastructure, with estimated losses reaching up to $750 billion.  Ukrainians have endured and their courage and resilience have been an inspiration for freedom-loving people around the world. Meanwhile, Russia’s genocidal and imperial quest to destroy Ukraine’s statehood and identity have only succeeded in unifying the Ukrainian people and catalyzing transatlantic and international support in response to Russia’s aggression. 

Ukraine’s allies and partners have provided unprecedented  political, humanitarian, economic, military and other assistance to Ukraine over the past year.  This ongoing support  and generosity in solidarity with Ukraine is deeply appreciated by the Ukrainian people. It  was  instrumental in defending Kyiv and other cities as well as liberating  many territories occupied since the start of the full scale invasion. This assistance, with deep appreciation to the leadership of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group,  has helped Ukraine’s Armed Forces to thwart and weaken the Russian military, which had been considered among the most powerful in the world. Timely assistance has also been critical to keep Ukraine’s economy upright, used to repair critical infrastructure and able to ensure needed support for Ukrainians, including the most vulnerable, despite Russia’s horrific, unrelenting war of destruction.

Ukrainians have repeatedly demonstrated over the past year that surrender is not an option and that the defense of their nation’s sovereignty, freedom, democracy, and human rights is paramount. Despite the ongoing war, Ukraine continues to work on democratic reforms and integration into the European Union. In June 2022, it received EU candidate status and is working diligently with its partners to advance recovery and reconstruction efforts.  

After a year of the full-scale war, the following  conclusions can be made:

• Ukrainians are exceptional, brave and determined to restore full territorial integrity and defend their homeland;
• Ukrainians, despite the impacts of the war, are fully committed to advancing immediately a democratic Ukraine fully integrated into EuroAtlantic institutions;   
• Partners of Ukraine around the world  are unified and resolute in their support and ready to help Ukrainians achieve a just and lasting peace – no matter how long it takes;
• Russia is a  threat to transatlantic and global security, stability and peace and  must be defeated, including withdrawing all of its troops from Ukraine’s territory and ceasing all hostilities;
• Russia is committing crimes against humanity in Ukraine and is violating international law and must be held accountable and pay compensation for damages inflicted during the war.

 It is imperative, with no end in sight to Russia’s aggression, that Ukraine’s allies and partners continue to stand in solidarity with the people of Ukraine, who have made it clear that the only acceptable outcome of the war is the liberation of all Ukrainian territories. There can be no half-measures as this will only mean the  prolongation of the war for Ukraine and a continuing threat to the global international rules-based order.

 It is critical that the Ukrainian people are provided with all necessary means to protect their homeland with ample and robust military, economic, political and humanitarian support and assistance. We urge the international community to continue to provide and expand as necessary critical assistance for Ukraine to win the war, put an end to Russia’s terror, enable Ukraine’s fast and transparent recovery and restore lasting peace in Europe.   For the sake of global security and stability, the free world must do everything possible to help preserve Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, protect democracy, and ensure that international law and human rights are respected and upheld.

Signed by:

1. Transatlantic Task Force for Ukraine
2. Reanimation Package of Reforms Coalition (a coalition of 26 prominent Ukrainian think tanks and NGOs)
3. Orest Deychakiwsky, former Policy Advisor, US Helsinki Commission. Co-Chair, Transatlantic Task Force on Ukraine
4. Adrian Karmazyn, former Ukrainian Service Chief, Voice of America, Co-Chair, Transatlantic Task Force on Ukraine
5. Olga Lymar, Executive Director, Reanimation Package of Reforms Coalition,  Co-Chair, Transatlantic Task Force on Ukraine
6. Denys Davydenko, Head of Advocacy and International Relations, Reanimation Package of Reforms Coalition, Co-Chair, Transatlantic Task Force on Ukraine, Serviceman of Ukraine’s Armed Forces
7. Olena Prokopenko,  Co-Chair, Transatlantic Task Force on Ukraine
8. Jonathan Katz,  Co-Chair, Transatlantic Task Force on Ukraine
9. Michael McFaul, former US Ambassador to Russia; Director, Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies; Ken Olivier and Angela Nomellini Professor of International Studies, Department of Political Science; Peter and Helen Bing Senior Fellow, Hoover Institution, Stanford University
10. Alexander Vershbow, US Ambassador (retired); Distinguished Fellow, Atlantic Council; Former NATO Deputy Secretary General; Former US Ambassador to Russia
11. Steven Pifer, US Ambassador (retired), former US Ambassador to Ukraine
12. Roman Popadiuk, first U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine; member of the Board Directors, Diplomacy Center Foundation
13. Ian Kelly, Ambassador (retired) in Residence, Northwestern University; former U.S. ambassador to the OSCE, former U.S. Ambassador to Georgia
14. David J. Kramer, Executive Director, George W. Bush Institute; Former Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor
15. Joel Rubin, Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, Obama-Biden Administration
16. Andrius Kubilius, Member of the European Parliament
17. Žygimantas Pavilionis, Chair of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Parliament of Lithuania; Ambassador (retired)
18. Rebecca Harms, Former Member of the European Parliament and Co-Chair of Euronest until 2019
19. Joerg Forbrig, Managing Director, Transatlantic Trusts, German Marshall Fund of the United States
20. Emmanuel Dupuy, Président, Institute for European Perspective and Security / Institute Prospective et Securité en Europe (IPSE) (France)
21. Nathalie Tocci, Director, Istituto Affari Internazionali (IAI) (Italy)
22. Michal Baranowski, Director of the Warsaw Office, German Marshall Fund of the United States
23. Alexander Motyl, Professor of Political Science, Rutgers University-Newark
24. Andreas Umland, Analyst, Stockholm Centre for Eastern European Studies, Swedish Institute of International Affairs
25. Nona Mikhelidze, Senior Fellow, EU, Politics and Institutions (EU and Eastern Neighbouhood), Istituto Affari Internazionali (IAI) (Italy)
26. Anders Åslund, Senior Fellow, Stockholm Free World Forum; Chairman of the Advisory Council, Center for Social and Economic Research
27. Gustav Gressel, Senior Policy Fellow, Wider Europe Programme, European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR)
28. Olga Onuch, Senior Lecturer [Associate Professor] in Politics, University of Manchester
29. Jakub Parusinski, Managing Partner, Jnomics Media
30. Jeffrey Gedmin, Co-Founder and Editor, American Purpose; Former President/CEO, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
31. Oleksandra Matviichuk, Head, Center for Civil Liberties (the first Ukrainian organization to receive the Nobel Peace Prize)
32. Borys Gudziak, President, Ukrainian Catholic University 
33. Myroslav Marynovych, Vice-Rector,  Ukrainian Catholic University 
34. Andrey Kurkov, Novelist
35. Yuliia Kyrychenko, Сo-chairwoman of the Board of the Centre of Policy and Legal Reforms
36. Igor Burakovsky, Head of the Board, the Institute for Economic Research and Policy Consulting; Professor of Economics, the National University of “Kyiv-Mohyla Academy”
37. Yevhen Bystrytsky, President, Ukrainian Philosophy Foundation
38. Orysia Lutsevych, Head, Ukraine Forum, Chatham House 
39. Tetiana Pechonchyk, Head of the Board of the Human Rights Centre ZMINA
40. Yuliia Sachuk, Head, NGO “Fight For Right”; the first Ukrainian participant at the Obama Foundation Leaders Europe Program; nominee from Ukraine to the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in 2020
41. Olesia Ostrovska-Liuta, Director General, Mystetskyi Arsenal 
42. Svitlana Barbeliuk, Director, Ilko Kucheriv Democratic Initiatives Foundation (DIF)
43. Natalia Lyhachova, Head, Detector Media
44. Sergiy Sydorenko, Editor, Head of the Board, NGO European Pravda
45. Alya Shandra, Editor-in-Chief, Euromaidan Press
46. Svitlana Kononchuk Executive Director, Ukrainian Center for Independent Political Research
47. Petro Burkovskiy, Executive Director, Ilko Kucheriv Democratic Initiatives Foundation (DIF) 
48. Fedir Lapii, Head of the Board, NGO “Parents for Vaccination”
49. Tymofiy Badikov Executive Director, NGO “Parents for Vaccination”,
50. Dmytro Kupyra, Executive Director, NGO “Life”
51. Maksym Yakovlyev, Director, the School for Policy Analysis NaUKMA
52. Mykhailo Gonchar, President, Centre for Global Studies Strategy XXI
53. Yuliia Matviichuk, Advocacy Manager, Charity Foundation “Vostok SOS”