Two years of illegal war against Ukraine

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  It is now two years that Russia tried to invade Ukraine and started an illegal war against its people. Russia has attacked hospitals, homes, destroyed the city of Mariopol, murdered the people of Bucha, attacked food storage in Odesa, destroyed the Kakhovka Dam to use it as a weapon of war... Yet Putin survives, yet the Kremlin's rule continues...  Russia invaded the neighbor country Ukraine and remains with impunity seating at the UN Security Council and other UN functions... pulling strings in the global economy...   I still have hope that the good people will win and there will be justice, but it is crazy that it is taking so long. It is not acceptable that a country illegally invades another, kills, rapes, destroys, ignores all human rights and remains with impunity... in the XXI century. The world cannot allow this, it is too barbaric!
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Russia war against Ukraine - what can we do to stop the next atrocity?

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Background

What is disinformation? Disinformation is the intentional spreading of false information. If you have read my previous post on Disinformation in Russia, you know that I am quite concerned about the hate-speech and disinformation that the Russian State and media have been spreading against Ukraine, trying to justify their illegal and morally wrong war, "infecting" the minds of the Russian population with hate that can lead to atrocities such as the mass killings in Bucha or the complete destruction of an entire city, such as Mariopol. 

Russia will have presidential elections in 2024. After the public criticism that the chief of the mercenary Wagner Group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, has made to Putin's "military operation" and the possibility of a revolutions in Russia - and he continues to be alive, Putin's rule seems to be set to expire. 

However, if we accept that a significant share of the Russian population has been convinced that the war against Ukraine is justified, this means that the end of Putin's regime will not necessarily be the end of war against Ukraine. So how do we counteract hate-speech spread by Russia? I have to admit I have absolutely no expertise in this field, so I searched for guidance from the UN via Google. Let me share a couple of key ideas with you.

How do we counteract hate-speech? what can we do to stop the next atrocity?  

The first is that "No child is born with hate, hate is taught.", this is a quote from Ms. Alice Wairimu Nderitu, Under-Secretary-General & Special Adviser to the United Nations Secretary-General on the Prevention of Genocide (twitter handle @WairimuANderitu). People learn to hate through interaction with other people and socialization, in school, at home, at work, etc.. Once indoctrinated that person will continue to propagate the hate. 

The second it that the same tools that are used to spread hate are also good to counter hate, so it is also through socialization, including at home and in social media. In my view, the most important and effective way would be for free-thinking Russians to speak with their kids and families to counter the State's hate speech and disinformation. In my view, the key to stop this mad war lies in their hands.

I recommend watching this interview with Ms. Alice Wairimu Nderitu, I found it very helpful. Thank you UN, because I do feel better informed now. 

https://un.org/en/genocideprevention/

If you know any Russian civil society associations that work towards education, justice, human rights, transparency and accountability, democracy, freedom of speech, or other related topics, please share links below.


 

Location: Germany

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