Dear Hoggy,
A Plea
I wanted to write regarding the current situation that is on-going in the cities of Ukraine at the hands of the Russian president, Vladimir Putin. As I write this, the conflict has been taking place for a whole month and throughout the invasion, I have not been able to remove the feeling of helplessness from settling in my mind. The scenes that are coming from Ukraine currently are heart-breaking to witness. Watching from nearly 2000 miles away, it is hard to imagine what it must be like for the ten million people so far who have been displaced from their homes and communities, some they have lived in for many years and had to leave family members behind.
The emotional scenes of men having to send their wives and children off on trains, or the young sons having to stay behind and fight, not knowing when, or even if, they will see them again remind me of scenes from the two World Wars. The stories of children seeing their parents being seriously injured, or even killed, in front of their young and innocent eyes are so devastating that many times over the last four weeks or so I have had to change channels when they come onto the news. Even as I was writing this there was a man crying on the BBC News evening broadcast after his daughter and granddaughter had been killed and his other daughter remains in a serious condition in hospital.
So far countries around the world have been condemning the actions of Putin and Russia, but in my opinion, I do not think this goes far enough. I understand why certain measures Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called for, such as no-fly zones, would not work but surely something can be done to hinder the movement of Russian troops across Ukraine’s borders.
Governments in America, the United Kingdom and throughout the European Union have placed economic sanctions on certain oligarchs in President Putin’s inner circle. However, these sanctions don’t only harm the individuals, they affect millions of innocent people.
Therefore, I believe that organisations such as NATO and the European Union have been too slow in doing anything that will help the people of Ukraine, partly due to the fear of missiles and a third World War.
Gauging popular public support for the conflict in Russia before it began, is of course difficult to ascertain, due to the regime's control of the media and the sophisticated security apparatus. What will be clear to many living in Russian major cities, will be the lack of western stores and the soaring prices of consumer products. The rouble is rapidly losing its value, forcing many to raise their prices. Having said that, the state remains firmly in-control and with heavy custodial sentences for those who speak out, it is unlikely that resistance will begin at street level.
I hope that further support will now be given sooner rather than later. I believe Putin has completely misread the world and the way European countries support each other and when the conflict comes to an end, I hope Putin gets tried for the war crimes he has so publicly committed.
Thank you,
Tavvia Meeson
(BA Criminology and Security Studies: Birmingham City University)
Dear Tavvia,
This is as succinct and lucid a summary of the war at this moment as we have had and thank you for it. I have given it a post of its own and use this space to echo your pleas contained with in it.
We must do more, we who have the means, however financially painful it might seem right now, must give all the support we can and if necessary set ourselves up on a war footing sooner, rather than later, to face down this threat, perhaps when it is too late.
This is without doubt the most serious moment in the world's existence, the closest glimpse into oblivion any of us have seen in our generation and we all here join with you in calling for the west to put and end to Putin and to this planet threatening war.
Whatever it takes this war must end.
And soon.
Thank you for this excellent and moving summary of this month of war and I have taken the liberty of writing to the government through our local Member of Parliament drawing his attention to your plea and will await his response which we will of course publish here.
Thank you again and with very best wishes to you all in Birmingham.
Hoggy
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