Politics (Page 223)

We’ve all been moved and concerned by the events taking place in Ukraine, and many of us want to know how we can help. As governments around the world respond, you may be wondering how you can push our own government to do more or to respond differently. Here’s how to contact your MP if you are concerned about the conflict in Ukraine –– and what difference it will make if you do. How do I contact my MP? The first step is to check who your MP is by using this easy search tool. Once you know who they are, you can then choose how to contact them. All MPs can be contacted by post (just send your letterContinue Reading

In late September 1941, tens of thousands of Jews from the city of Kyiv were rounded up by the Germans with the help of Ukrainian militia. They were taken to a place called Babyn Yar, meaning “old woman’s ravine” in Ukrainian. Here, they were forced to strip before being shot by members of Einsatzgruppe C, Sonderkommando 4a, a Nazi death squad. More than 33,000 Jews were murdered. Following the slaughter, a few older Jews managed to return to Kyiv where they sat for days and nights by the synagogue, traumatised, until they, too, were killed by a German guard. The Babyn Yar massacre has come to represent what is known as the “Holocaust by bullets”. Around 1.5 million Ukrainian JewsContinue Reading

It’s just over a week since the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, sent his war machine into Ukraine with the aim of toppling the government of Volodymyr Zelensky, “denazifying and demilitarising” the country and sending the bloodiest of messages to Nato about its expansion into eastern Europe. Things have since moved with dizzying speed. Truth is said to be the first casualty of war, but there’s no reason for the demise of knowledge and expertise. In an assessment of Ukraine’s defensive capabilities, Frank Ledwidge, an expert on military strategy at the University of Portsmouth, predicted on day two of the invasion that while the Russians enjoyed superior firepower the Ukrainian people would fight passionately for their homeland. What Putin was expectingContinue Reading

Luke Pollard, Member of Parliament for Plymouth Sutton and Devonport, has condemned Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine as a “dark day for peace”, encouraging people in Plymouth to donate to a charities to support the humanitarian crisis if they can.   The United Nations Refugee Agency says that more than 100,000 Ukrainians have already been forced to flee their homes since Russia invaded Ukraine on 24 February, with residential buildings, power stations and children’s play-centres already the target of military bombing.   There are a number of charity organisations providing vital humanitarian support in the country, Luke recommends the British Red Cross’s Ukraine Appeal, the United Nations’ Ukraine Humanitarian Fund, and Save the Children’s Ukraine Crisis Fund. These organisations are distributing essential humanitarian aid, providingContinue Reading

In the days since Russia invaded Ukraine, over a million people have fled the country. The UN refugee agency estimates upwards of four million will be displaced by the conflict. The European response to the Ukrainian refugee crisis shows how generous states can be when put to the test. In line with the values of the 1951 Refugee Convention, the EU and its member states have displayed unprecedented levels of solidarity and cooperation in recent days. As commander in chief of the Polish border guard put it: “We will help everyone, we will not leave anyone without support.” “European values” – the protection of democracy, freedom, human rights and dignity – have underpinned much of the response so far. EUContinue Reading

The unfolding invasion of Ukraine will have far-reaching repercussions that extend way beyond a breach of international law and a violation of the country’s territorial integrity. As American international relations expert David Yost notes, Russia’s actions will weaken the credibility of major power security assurances, undermine the nuclear nonproliferation regime and dampen prospects for future disarmament. Putin’s decision to invade is in direct violation of the Budapest Memorandum, a key instrument assuring Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. The memorandum was struck in 1994, following lengthy and complicated negotiations involving the then Russian president Boris Yeltsin, Ukrainian president Leonid Kuchma, US president Bill Clinton and the then British prime minister John Major. Under the terms of the memorandum, Ukraine agreed toContinue Reading

What you need to know right now: Russian and Ukrainian negotiators met on Thursday and Kyiv said it would call for a ceasefire and humanitarian corridors to evacuate its besieged citizens, as the war entered its second week with Ukrainian cities surrounded and under bombardment. The head of Russia’s foreign intelligence agency said it was wrong to speak of a new Cold War between Russia and the West because the situation was already “hot”. Russian President Vladimir Putin told his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron that the goals of Russia’s operation in Ukraine – its demilitarisation and neutral status – will be achieved in any case, the Kremlin said. Macron told Putin he was making a “major mistake” in Ukraine, thatContinue Reading

Asatur Yesayants / Shutterstock Since his ascension to power in 2000, Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, has maintained levels of approval among the Russian public that would be the envy of most world leaders. Prior to the recent invasion of Ukraine, Putin’s approval rating stood at 71%, according to an independent pollster. Contrary to widespread belief, research has found that this support is not a fiction or an artifact of massaged polling numbers. As Russia continues its assault on Ukraine, a look at the public perception of Putin over the years may help us to understand how Russians will react to this violent war – and where the fate of this leader’s popularity lies. In my ongoing research, I investigate whatContinue Reading