Putin must be stopped. The demonstration marking the 10th anniversary of Russia’s war against Ukraine
On Tuesday, 20 February, a performance “The World Needs Security. Ukraine Needs Victory” took place on Maidan Nezalezhnosti in Kyiv. This demonstration is part of the global campaign #TheWorldNeedsSecurity, which takes place from 20 to 24 February all over the world, and is organised by the Ukrainian human rights organisation Centre for Civil Liberties.
The date and place of the action were chosen deliberately, as it was on 20 February 2014 that the first activists of the Revolution of Dignity, who fought for democratic values and a better future, were shot dead on Maidan Nezalezhnosti in Kyiv. Moreover, on 20 February 2014, Russian occupation forces invaded Crimea and began the annexation of the peninsula. Russia started the war against Ukraine not in February 2022, but in February 2014. And the Center for Civil Liberties was the first human rights organisation to send its own mobile teams to document war crimes in Crimea, Donetsk and Luhansk regions in 2014.
During the decade of war, Russia has committed and keeps committing numerous international crimes. Depicting these crimes became the main theme of the performance by the “Actors For Future” team, led by director Anastasiia Agafonova. During the theatrical performance involving elements of the grotesque, a recorded voice narrated while actors and performers showed the horrors that Ukrainians have been facing for 10 years. These include the annexation of Crimea and the persecution of Crimean Tatars, the occupation of Donbas and the persecution of journalists and activists in the temporarily occupied territories, the abduction and torture of civilians, blackmail with nuclear weapons and environmental crimes such as the explosion of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station, as well as the abduction of children and the destruction of entire cities.
Not only does the action aim to show Russia committing crimes on the territory of Ukraine for years, but also to convey the message that the evil is not going to stop. Putin will not stop. He has to be stopped. And it is the international tribunal for aggression that is capable of doing so. Indeed, among all those who give and execute criminal orders, the triad enjoy immunity from justice due to their positions: Putin, Lavrov and Mishustin. Creating a tribunal for aggression can overcome this immunity.
“We are approaching the second anniversary of the full-scale invasion in a rather difficult situation. But it clearly shows our priorities, and we need your voice and your help. We need to convince Western politicians that Ukraine needs weapons and needs them immediately; that frozen Russian state assets should be confiscated with the funds transferred to Ukraine for the purpose of defence and reconstruction; that a special tribunal for aggression against Putin, Lukashenko and their associates should be launched now. The situation is not easy, but nothing is predetermined, and we have a chance to fight for our future. A chance is not a guarantee, but it is crucial to have a chance to live and fight for the future we desire for ourselves and our children,” stated Oleksandra Matviichuk, Head of the Center for Civil Liberties, during the demonstration.
