Public Appeal by Ukraine's Civil Society to German Chancellor Olaf Scholz

November 29, 2023

By Ariana Gic, Hanna Hopko, Roman Sohn,

Germany has a pivotal role in rallying Europe against Russian aggression

As the leading country of the European Union, Germany has a special responsibility for promoting peace, security, prosperity and stability on the continent. This is why we call on German government to devise an uncompromising long-term strategy to support Ukraine’s victory by:

 

Taking a decision to provide Taurus missiles to Ukraine without further delays.
Formally and officially recognizing that Russia is committing genocide against the Ukrainian nation and people, and has been doing so since invading Ukraine in February 2014.
Supporting the establishment of a Special International Tribunal for Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine.
Facilitating a political consensus within NATO to extend invitation to Ukraine to join the organisation at 2024 Summit in Washington.
Leading a more robust sanctions regime against Russia.
Jointly with the USA, Canada, Australia and Japan developing a plan to restore Ukraine’s economy.
Arresting Russia’s assets in Germany and directing the confiscated funds for support of Ukraine.
Issuing a recommendation to German businesses to stop operations in Russia.

 

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Public Appeal by Ukraine's Civil Society to German Chancellor Olaf Scholz

Your Excellency, Dear Mr.Scholz,

We, the undersigned representatives of civil society of Ukraine, wish to express our deep gratitude and sincere appreciation for your government`s historic role in supporting Ukraine`s defense against Russia`s illegal war of aggression against our country.

We also commend your personal stand for our common values of liberty, democracy, human rights and the rule of law, which are under attack by Russia. Under your leadership, Germany took decisive measures to rid itself from dependence on Russian energy and emerged as the second-largest contributor to Ukraine’s support.

As Russia continues its genocidal war on our people with the objective of extinguishing Ukraine as an independent nation, we call on your government to pursue even more vigorous policy to help Ukraine repel Russian armed aggression by substantially increasing its material, financial, and military assistance to the government of Ukraine.

What is at stake in Ukraine is not just territory or Ukraine’s own future, but the historic trajectory of the world's democracies. Ukraine, at the cost of the epic heroism and the tragic suffering of its people, became a shield for humanity from the greatest modern threat to world peace – the aggressive and genocidal regime of the Russian Federation.

In its quest for domination, Moscow is using its war of annihilation against Ukraine to shatter the fundamental pillars of the international security order which it regards as obstacles for Russia’s revanche. Russia’s obdurate actions demonstrably show that it is betting its future on defying the West. The dictatorial regime in the Kremlin is determined to humiliate the West in order to be able to seize the power to shape the world as it sees fit. Russia is mounting a hybrid war against the West and is forging a formidable anti-Western coalition to achieve this goal.

As long as Russia remains a rogue outlaw state professing the totalitarian ideology of russism, it will continue to pursue aggression as its fundamental policy. The increasing militarization and rearmament of the Russian state are bound to be directed not just against Ukraine, or other former republics of the USSR, but also several NATO members, which are under direct threat resulting from Kremlin’s proclaimed objectives of “restoring historic Russia,” and of repelling NATO. Moscow intends to - and will - strike when ready, not when “provoked” by Ukrainian defence, or by robust Western military support for Ukraine. The biggest escalation risk is not by trying to defeat Russia, but by not fully defeating it.

Your Excellency, we are at a decisive moment in history which demands decisive action of your government.

Ukraine's military prowess and determination to fight a larger nuclear-armed enemy cannot serve indefinitely as Europe’s shield against Russia’s expansionism and its quest for overturning international order. The EU and NATO member states must finally start acting with full resolve to bring about a joint victory over Russia.

Repelling Russian aggression on the battlefield and restoring Ukraine’s sovereignty over the whole territory within the internationally recognized borders as of 1991 is the minimal condition for repairing international law broken by Moscow. But, to achieve an enduring and just peace in Ukraine, and to secure international peace, we must pursue a concerted and forceful policy to achieve the following main objectives:

• the cessation of all forms of Russian aggression against Ukraine;

• the annulment of any and all illegal acts of the Russian government violating Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, including rescinding the attempted annexation of Ukrainian territories from Russian constitution;

• doing justice by holding responsible all Russian belligerents who committed war crimes and crimes against humanity, and participated in genocide, as well as putting top Russian leadership for conducting a war of aggression on trial by a Special International Tribunal for Russia’s war against Ukraine;

• imposing obligations on Russia to pay reparations to Ukraine for its illegal aggression and compensations to all victims;

• removing Russia`s power to subvert the international security order through abusing its present role in international organisations;

• coercing Russia to reform by adopting policies to reverse Moscow’s aggressive course, such as denunciation of its chauvinist, imperialist, totalitarian ideology of “russism”, ending of its hateful and dehumanizing propaganda, termination of all forms of foreign subversion, restoring respect for fundamental human rights and freedoms in Russia, etc.;

• Ukraine’s accession to EU, and, absolutely necessarily,

• Ukraine’s immediate accession to NATO. Until Ukraine is integrated into NATO, subjugation of Ukraine will be perceived in Russia as a fair game.

It cannot be overemphasized that coercing Ukraine into making concessions to Russia for some illusion of peace, or even sacrificing Ukraine for avoiding direct confrontation with Russia” is not going to solve the problem of aggressive, revanchist, totalitarian Russian state. Ukraine’s defeat will become Western strategic defeat.

Ukrainian society is firmly supporting our political and military leadership to achieve Ukrainian victory. We support General Zaluzhny’s recent appeal to Western governments for helping our army avoid a stalemate on the battlefield.

Your Excellency, Germany has a pivotal role in rallying Europe against Russian aggression. As the leading country of the European Union, Germany also has a special responsibility for promoting peace, security, prosperity and stability on the continent. As Defence Minister Boris Pistorius recently said, "We must be the backbone of deterrence and collective defence in Europe". This is a responsible political position in the interest of German society, as freedom and prosperity are unattainable without security.

This is why we call on your government to devise an uncompromising long-term strategy to support Ukraine’s victory by:

• Taking a decision to provide Taurus missiles to Ukraine without further delays;

• Formally and officially recognizing that Russia is committing genocide against the Ukrainian nation and people, and has been doing so since invading Ukraine in February 2014;

• Supporting the establishment of a Special International Tribunal for Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine;

• Facilitating a political consensus within NATO to extend invitation to Ukraine to join the organisation at 2024 Summit in Washington;

• Leading a more robust sanctions regime against Russia;

• Jointly with the USA, Canada, Australia and Japan developing a plan to restore Ukraine’s economy;

• Arresting Russia’s assets in Germany and directing the confiscated funds for support of Ukraine;

• Issuing a recommendation to German businesses to stop operations in Russia.

Victorious Ukraine as the eastern pillar of Europe's defence against Russia’s aggression will be a tremendous asset for NATO and a contributor to stability and prosperity in Europe. Ukraine's victory will also pave the way for German businesses to invest into Ukrainian reconstruction projects.

At a time of unprecedented challenge to global peace and security which will define the future of our world for decades to come we must stand united. Free and democratic Ukraine is Germany’s reliable partner. A Ukraine subsumed by Moscow cannot be.

About authors:

Ariana Gic

Political and legal analyst, Director, Direct Initiative International Centre for Ukraine. Sanctioned by the Russian Federation.

Hanna Hopko

Chair, National Interests Advocacy Network ANTS, Chair Zero Corruption Conference, Member of Ukrainian Parliament and Chairwoman of the Parliamentary Committee on Foreign Affairs, 2014-2019

Roman Sohn

Legal expert, Chairman, Direct Initiative International Centre for Ukraine

SIGNATORIES

2 3 2
TOTAL

ORGANISATIONS

1 7
Organizations

Kyiv Security Forum

New Europe Center

Independent Anti-Corruption Commission - NAKO

Civil Network OPORA

The Association of Jewish Organizations and Communities (VAAD) of Ukraine

Congress of Ethnic Communities of Ukraine

Centre for Russian Studies

ICO “Environment - People - Law”

CGS Strategy XXI

Anticorruption Action Centre

NGO "European cooperation Agency"

Ukrainian Strategic Initiative think tank, Kyiv Mohyla Academy

NGO “National Education Association”

NGO Euroatlantic course

Resilient Ukraine CSO

Justice24

INDIVIDUALS

2 1 5
Individuals

Oleksandra Matviichuk

Center for Civil Liberties

Serhiy Zhadan

Ukrainian writer

Hanna Hopko

ANTS - National Interests Advocacy Network, International Center for Ukrainian Victory

Olena Halushka

International Center for Ukrainian Victory

Roman Sohn

Direct Initiative International Centre for Ukraine

Ariana Gic

Direct Initiative International Centre for Ukraine

Danylo Lubkivsky

Kyiv Security Forum

Andrii Ordynovych

Colonel (retired), former Deputy Military Representative to NATO

Alyona Getmanchuk

New Europe Center

Olena Tregub

Independent Anti-Corruption Commission - NAKO

Olga Aivazovska

Civil Network OPORA

Yosyp Zisels

The Association of Jewish Organizations and Communities (VAAD) of Ukraine, and Congress of Ethnic Communities of Ukraine

Volodymyr Ohryzko

Centre for Russian Studies

Olena Kravchenko

ICO “Environment - People - Law”

Mykhailo Gonchar

CGS Strategy XXI

Daria Kaleniuk

Anticorruption Action Centre

Oksana Yurynets

NGO "European cooperation Agency"

Ostap Kryvdyk

Ukrainian Strategic Initiative think tank, Kyiv Mohyla Academy

Victoria Voytsitska

NGO “National Education Association”

Ihor Seletskyi

NGO Euroatlantic course

Nataliia Popovych

Resilient Ukraine CSO

Olena Sotnyk

Justice24

Traci Degerman, United States

Natalie Zuk, Australia

Bohdana Kurylo, United Kingdom

Researcher, University College London

Christine Schneider, Österreich

Political scientist

Steffen Mallwitz, Deutschland

Susanne G Knabe, Deutschland

Exam.Altenpflegerin

Peter Engelmann, Germany

CEO, Managing Director

Martin Ludwig Schmid, Deutschland

Andreas Döhling, Deutschland

Antje Wulff, Germany

Renate Maak, Deutschland

Michael KIstler, Deutschland

Elsa Van Niekerk, Australia

Pedr Owen, UK

Retired

Sabine Kaienburg, Deutschland

Lehrein im Ruhestand, Geschichte, Behörde für Schule, Hamburg bis 2020

Alex D'Attoma, Germany

Tetiana Vynnytska, Canada

Dirk Winter, Deutschland

Angesteller

Rudolf Dielmann, Deutschland

Beamter, Bauingenieur

Claudia Moddelmog, Deutschland

Historikerin, Universität Basel

Alin Almajan-Muntean, Deutschland

Oleksandra Churay Vitryuk, Deutschland

Personalvermittlung

Jens Lützen, Germany

Rachel Hendricks, USA

Stephen Komarnyckyj, Germany

None

John Lipnicki, UK

Retired

Johnny Jones, Netherlands

Matthew Girvin, Canada

Electrical & Instrumentation Supervisor , 7 years

Allison Greenlee, United States

Individual Reporter/Journalist

Petra Bandmann, Deutschland

Lauri Pohtila, Finland

Home father 6 years

Minka Maier, Deutschland

Mario Herzberg, Deutschland

Arbeiter

Kerry Botha, United Kingdom

Supervisor

Jane Marston, United Kingdom

Katherine Van Niman, United States

Niman's Way Dist. LLC

Ragnar Hannes Guðmundsson, Iceland

Academic, Háskóli Íslands

Greg Slawek, United States

Sacha Gortchakoff, Deutschland

Christian Schoepp, Deutschland

Architekt

Marie Levassor, Canada

Retired

Lexi Mcmillen, United States

Fashion designer

Walter Lehne, Deutschland

Arzt

Jochen Kleinschmidt, Germany

University lecturer, Dresden

Iryna Shakhova, Germany

Software engineer, 15 years exp.

Ellen Lieske, Deutschland

NAFO Fella

Volodymyr Barybin, Ukraine

Sophia Barybina, Ukraine

Christina Friedrich, Norway

John Riordan, United States

Katja Rossmann, Germany

Teacher

Jan Behnstedt-Renn, Deutschland

Historiker

Christoph Andreas, Germany

Vera Wisseler, Deutschland

Galeristin

Kerstin Helm, Deutschland

Janell Sykes, United States

Vira Ishchuk, Ukraine

Artist

Mark Luscombe, United Kingdom

Tomas Vaclavik, Czech republic

Brigitte Schnier, Deutschland

NAFO Fella

Charles Anderson, Denmark

Lisa Pockrus, United States

Librarian, 30 years

Hubert Senant Hubytheone, France

Aaron Peterson, United States

Brett Sanchez Sanchez, United States

Bernd Kappenberg, Belgien

Jorge Ariznabarreta, Spain

metall worker

Dr. Császár Ida, Magyarország

NAFO

Holger Linius, Deutschland

Rentner

Tomasz Dojlida, Polska

Isabel Castillo, México

Imre Hofmann, Schweiz

Tobias Tomenendal, Deutschland

Giannetti Stefania, Germany

Anni Kirchner, Deutschland

Arzt

Christian Halbing, Deutschland

Volker Erler, Deutschland

Oleksandr Onyshchuk, Ukraine

Engineer

Anja Sudrow, Germany

Eileen McKee, United Kingdom

Valentin Spernath, Deutschland

Catherine Weetman, England

Caregiver

Thomas Cseresnyès, Deutschland

Yuri Kushnir, Ukraine

Attorney-at-law, 24

George Ashe, United Kingdom

CEO

Matthias Herderich, Deutschland

National Economist

Simon Simonov, United States

Clinical Research Professional

Kurt Schilling, United States

Monika Bittern, Germany

Jürgen Nauditt, Deutschland

Georg Rossmair, Germany

Tamara Okhrimenko, Germany

IT, 20 years

Tilmann von Papen, Deutschland

Doris Botwen, Deutschland

Heike Kaumanns, Germany

Thanheiser Stefan, Germany

Pirmin Styrnol, Germany

Svitlana Romanchuk, Ukraine

Guido Kalweit, Finnland

Logistiker

Nadine Weishar, Deutschland

Susanne Pomrehn, Deutschland

Ilker Baris Tokuc, Deutschland

Hans-Joachim Wachs, Deutschland

Katja Mannfrass, Deutschland

Julia Agnes Salay, Deutschland

Ergotherapeutin

Alexander Hartl, Deutschland

Betriebswirt

Viktoriya Limbach, Germany

Angelika Mohr, Deutschland

Elena Nemcek, Deutschland

Angestellte

Dennis Ezati, Deutschland

Andrej Nemcek, Deutschland

Chemieingenieur

Vita Hamaniuk, Ukraine

Prorektorin für wissenschaftliche Arbeit an der Staatlichen pädagogischen Universität Kryvyi Rih, 2017 bis heute

Björn Reese, Deutschland

Michaela Steiner, Deutschland

med. Angestellte

Florian Schott, Deutschland

Bildungswissenschaftler

Bettina Hentschel, Deutschland

Buchhändler

Ben Caffe, Germany

Tobias Räss, Deutschland

Stefan Ries, Deustchland

Philipp Seeger, Germany

Andrii Zhygallo, Germany

Oliver Hagenbruch, Deutschland

Familienvater

Silke Ohlmeyer, Germany

Björn Möller,

Klaus Römer, Deutschland

Student der Goethe Universität Frankfurt

Thilo Helmut Becker, Deutschland

Buchhaltung

Lotte Timm, Danmark

Yurii Pyvovarenko, Ukraine

Cofounder, Let's do it Ukraine NGO

Yakov Nenaydykh, USA

Executive VP, Bloom Companies

Oscar Lievre Ellrodt,

Andrea Heil, Deutschland

Tanaphat Thongkanya, Deutschland

Björn Möller, Germany

Anna Buttler, Deutschland

Privat

Robert Wagner, Deutschland

Laseroptotechnologe

Andreas Michels, Deutschland

Projektkoordinator

Simon Chris, Switzerland

NAFO

Kurt Dressel, Deutschland

Alexander Radi, France

Christian Stonis, Deutschland

NAFO

Katri Faehling, Deutschland

Schütze Maren, Deutschland

Artem Honcharov, Ukraine

Iryna Velychko, Ukraine

student

Joachim Schaaf, Deutschland

Konstanze Hoffmann-Djaafri, Deutschland

Kateryna Pilkevych, Ukraine

Bernhard Spötzl, Deutschland

Pavlo Romaniukha, United Kingdom

Community leader, Ukrainians in Sheffield

Tarana Aliiahubova, Ukraine

Maryna Borodai, Ukraine

Dmytro Antonenko, Ukraine

Rose Smith, USA

Carsten Marquardt, Deutschland

Feroz Shakh, Ukraine

Rory MacMahon, United Kingdom

Merja El, Finland

Svitlana Holubieva, Ukraine

Olena Romenkova, UK

Gymnasium 290 m. Kyiv

Romi Raschdorf, Deutschland

Szilárd Levente András Szücs, Deutschland

Psychotherapeut

Birgid Bär, Deutschland

David Weber, Deutschland

Ilona Zaichenko, United Kingdom

Oleg Rogoza, Slovenia

Founder and a member of the supervisory board, Association of Ukrainians in Slovenia Razom

Eugene Shevchenko, Slovenia

CEO at IT company

Barbara Brück, Deutschland

Mirko Ritter, Deutschland

Liliana Malka, France

TRYZUB ( Nantes, France) vice-présidente, FSF (Piriac sur Mer, France) membre.

Natalija Bock, Germany

Koordination und Öffentlichkeitsarbeit, Ukrainisches Koordinationszentrum Dresden

Isabell Salzinger, Germany

Bohdana Saraniuk, Ukraine

Iuliia Vandiak, Slovenia

Olof Josefsson, Sweden

Aelxandra Labudda, Germany

Tomoya Koga, Japan

Engineer

Regina Leimig, Deutschland

Adrienne Huber, Australia

Roman Bruskevtsev, Ukraine

Jennifer Breed, Canada

Christine Karman, Netherlands

Kristian Kiehling, Deutschland

Filmemacher und Schauspieler

Laura Alves, Austria

Sysadmin

Martin Winkler, Germany

Lawyer

Henning Winkelmann, Germany

Lawyer

Uta Stäsche, Deutschland

Yunfeng Jiang, China

个人

Ksenya Voevodin, Australia

Kathryn Park, United Kingdom

Terry Ralph, Ireland

None

Íker Bellés Barreda, Spain

Student

Gorazd Cvetič, Chile

Dr, Professor der Physik (seit Jahr 2000), Universidad Tecnica Federico Santa Maria, Valparaiso

COUNTRIES

2 3
Countries

Australia

Austria

Belgium

Canada

Czechia

Denmark

Finland

France

Germany

Hungary

Iceland

Japan

Netherlands

Norway

Poland

Slovenia

Spain

Sweden

Switzerland

Ukraine

United Kingdom

United States of America