MEDIA RELEASE
PLANE TRAGEDY: UKRAINIANS IN AUSTRALIA EXPRESS SYMPATHY; CONDEMN ACT BY PUTIN’S TERRORISTS; CALL ON AUSTRALIAN GOVT TO BAN PUTIN
The Australian Federation of Ukrainian Organisations (AFUO) offers its most sincere condolences to the families and friends of the innocent civilians who lost their lives today at the hands of Putin-backed terrorists, following the downing of Malaysian Airlines flight MH 17 over eastern Ukraine.
AFUO calls on Australian Government to take a lead on banning Russian Federation representation at G20 discussions this weekend in Sydney and the G20 Summit in Brisbane in November.
Mr Stefan Romaniw OAM, President of the AFUO, noted the statement of Ukraine’s President Petro Poroshenko that ‘this was no accident or catastrophe but rather an act of terrorism.’
Romaniw further noted that Putin-backed terrorist leader Igor ‘Strelkov’ Girkin took credit for this barbaric act, gloating on social media today about the mistaken downing of a Ukrainian military transport: ‘We warned them not to fly in our skies. The bird fell into a waste heap, and didn’t fall in a residential area.’
“The Putin-backed terrorists continue to be aided and supplied with military hardware, intelligence and manpower by the Russian Federation, and this has now resulted in the tragic death of at least 27 of our Australian countrymen,” Mr Romaniw said.
” The international community must act now in a strong and decisive way to not only condemn this action by Putin-backed terrorists, but must also strengthen its activities against Putin and the Russian Federation.
“Putin and his backed terrorists in Eastern Ukraine need to get the message that the international community will not sit back and watch terrorists take innocent lives. There is no excuse for this action. It cannot be justified in any shape or form.
“The Australian Government should now withdraw its invitation to the Russian Federation representatives attending the G20 Forum in Sydney on Saturday July 17,” Mr Romaniw
“Furthermore, it should also exercise its influence and call on all G20 members to ban Russian Federation representation at other G20 meetings in Australia, including the Summit in Brisbane in November,” Mr Romaniw said.
