Thousands of Australian-Ukrainians will this week join a global campaign to mark the second anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2024 (details below).
Rallies will be held in all Australian capital cities and over 400 cities around the world to honour the victims of Russia’s brutal war, salute the heroic resistance of the Ukrainian people, and encourage Australians to remember Ukraine’s brave struggle against authoritarianism, terror and genocide.
“As we enter the third year of Russia’s brutal, unprovoked and illegal war against Ukraine, Russian missile and drone strikes have intensified, leaving a trail of death and destruction. At least 10,000 innocent Ukrainian civilians have lost their lives, with many more losing their lives on the frontline. Around 19,000 children (and most likely hundreds of thousands more) have been forcibly kidnapped and taken to Russia. Millions of men, women and children remain internally displaced in the country. Over 100,000 war crimes committed by Russian troops are being investigated,” said Australian Federation of Ukrainian Organisations (AFUO) Co chairs Stefan Romaniw OAM and Kateryna Argyrou.
“Through all this, the Ukrainian people have remained united, strong and committed to resisting Russia’s heinous attack. This week, we will be on the streets of Australia to pay tribute to their courage and resilience, and show them they are supported around the world.
‘Our community is exhausted and traumatised by the brutality of the war, but we are determined to keep doing everything we can to help Ukraine win the war.
“We will be thanking the Australian Government for its support over the last two years. We want this war over quickly, which will only happen with more support, particularly military aid. We look forward to continuing to work with the Government to this end.
“The AFUO also supports Ukraine’s requests for further sanctions on Russia including banning more banks from SWIFT and freezing and seizing Russian assets; assisting Ukraine in its prosecution of war crimes perpetrated by Russian political leaders and soldiers; and declaring Russia’s actions in Ukraine as genocide.
“We will be thanking Australians for their support of Ukraine and encouraging them to take three simple actions:
- Write to their local Federal MP to urge them to support Ukraine. Our online platform makes this as easy as two clicks.
- Make a donation to one of our community-run charities, which provide life-saving aid directly to where it is needed:
- Ukraine Crisis Appeal delivers emergency and humanitarian aid to Ukraine;
- Defend Ukraine Appeal provides life-saving equipment to Ukrainian defenders including medical vehicles, body armour and surveillance equipment
- Future Ukraine supports rehabilitation and reconstruction projects in Ukraine.
- Share a post on their social media accounts or attend one of our rallies.
“Ukrainians are fighting on the global frontlines for peace, democracy, and freedom. It is in Australia’s national interest for Ukraine to emerge from this war of Russian aggression as a resilient sovereign and democratic state,” they said.
