The decision by Russia’s Prosecutor General to declare the Ukrainian World Congress an “undesirable” organization that poses a threat to Russia’s national security is a further attempt to eliminate Ukrainian community life in Russia, said the UWC. The July 11 announcement highlights Russian President Vladimir Putin’s fear that the democratic principles championed by the Ukrainian people will bring an end to his kleptocratic regime.
“Neither the Ukrainian World Congress nor its member organizations pose any threat to the national security of Russia,” stated Paul Grod, UWC president. “We stand with the peace-loving people of Russia who wish to live in a state that respects the dignity of its people. The UWC calls upon the Russian regime of Vladimir Putin to withdraw his troops and security forces from eastern Ukraine and Crimea ,and end the illegal occupation, human rights abuses and ongoing military aggression against the Ukrainian people.”
Recently, the UWC has been advocating for non-recognition of the Russian passports granted to Ukrainian citizens in Crimea or parts of Ukraine occupied by Kremlin-backed militants.
“The issuance of Russian passports on Ukrainian territory is a further act of aggression against Ukraine, and we applaud the government of Canada for its recent decision not to recognize these documents and call upon the international community to follow, as these actions by Russia represent yet another attack on Ukrainian sovereignty,” the July 12 statement from the UWC read.
“The UWC will never recognize the illegal annexation of Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula and will work tirelessly to ensure it is returned to Ukraine. Furthermore, we denounce Russia’s occupation, human rights abuses and ongoing military aggression in eastern Ukraine. The real question is why doesn’t Vladimir Putin focus on making life better for the Russian people rather than on making it worse for the people of Ukraine and creating imaginary external threats?”
The Ukrainian World Congress is recognized as a non-governmental organization (NGO) by both the United Nations and the Council of Europe; it brings together as one powerful voice the 20 million strong Ukrainian diaspora in over 60 countries, the largest of which lives in the Russian Federation. Prohibiting the people of Russia from cooperating or working with the UWC is just another attempt to intimidate, oppress and further assimilate the Ukrainian people living in Russia, the UWC noted.
“Although this ban is another badge of honor for the UWC, we are very concerned for the safety of the leaders and members of the Ukrainian community organizations living in the Russian Federation. We know all too well that the Russian government does not hesitate to intimidate or execute its political opposition both at home and abroad,” commented Mr. Grod.
Millions of Ukrainians are living in Russia today. Many of these people were either deported to the Gulag in the far east of Russia during the Soviet era or are living on ethnically Ukrainian lands that are today part of, or were illegally annexed by the Russian Federation, the UWC noted.