Petr

    Stories of People

    Czech guy concerned for his Russian loved ones

    Published at

    Why do I care?

    I am quite a Czech person. I was born in Prague, spent my youth drinking beer and hiking ล umava. I've always felt very safe expressing my political opinions - and holding my boyfriend's hand in mine while doing so.

    My loved ones, however, are Russian. My mother was born in Moscow. The Russian half of my family still lives there.

    I've met my boyfriend online. He is also Russian. He moved from Russia a long time ago however, as he could not live in a country so flagrantly against his believes.

    Through my relationship with them, I was made acutely aware of my privilege. I'm a moderately active political person, yes, although I've never risked as much as they did with my actions. And yet, the people who took those risks are facing collective guilt - which is a paradox that I can't get my mind around.

    I also can choose any country from the EU to stay (and to work). This choice is done by pure convinience (not for the fear of my safety).

    24th February

    The first days after the Russian invasion we were paralysed in shock. Then we contacted our Russian friends (a lot of them being anti-Putin activists), as we wanted to help them to get to safety.

    When we started to gather information how to do that, it became obvious that it will be a very difficult task.

    Overnight, we created 2 websites:

    Hopefuly they will help somehow.

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    Our stand on the Russian war with Ukraine

    Russia started the war against Ukraine. This war is happening from 2014. It has only intensified on February 24th 2022. Milions of Ukrainians are suffering. The perpetrators of this must be brought to justice for their crimes.

    Russian regime tries to silence its liberal voices. Russian people against the war exist - and the Russian regime tries its best to silence them. We want to prevent that and make their voices heard.

    Connection is crucial. The Russian liberal initiatives are hard to read for European public at times. The legal, social and historical context of Russia is not always clear. We want to share information, build bridges and connect the liberal Russia with The West.

    We believe in dialogue, not isolation. The oppositional powers in Russia will not be able to change anything without the support of the democratic world. We also believe that the dialogue should go both ways.

    The choice is yours. We understand the anger for the Russian crimes. It is up to you whether you want to listen to the Russian people standing against this.