Arzinger is an independent law firm headquartered in Kyiv and having its regional offices in Western and Southern Ukraine. The following message was circulated by Arzinger on March 05, 2014, to all of its friends, colleagues and partners. We thought this was awesome and wanted to share it with you:
Dear friends, colleagues and partners,
Herewith we would like to draw your attention to the current political crisis between Ukraine and Russian Federation and the current situation in the Crimea. Being a Ukrainian company we are concerned a lot about the future of our State. We kindly ask you to spare 5 minutes of your time for the issue, which is incredibly important to every person in the world, and read this message to the end.
All the politicians avoid calling this situation a war. However, we understand that at least one war has already started and continues. It is informational war launched by Russia against the Ukrainian nationhood and achievements of the Euromaidan protests.
The previous week Russian forces came to the territory of Ukraine. Today they are using propaganda to prepare their grounds for the war. Below you may find just a few of major Russian myths promoted by Russian media and the relevant disproof:
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The power in Ukraine has been seized by extremists, fascists, and US stooges, while the legitimate President has fled for his life. As things stand now, Ukraine has a new democratic government, which is supported by the population and uses its best efforts to eliminate the effects of a deep long-term economic, political and social crisis in Ukraine that has affected the life of every Ukrainian without exception. Yanukovych has fled the country knowing that he will be committed for trial, at least for his unlawful acts in January and February 2014 that have caused dozens of deaths.
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Russian media allege that there are people in the East and South of Ukraine, who go out to protest against the “new regime” but face the radically inclined extremists. This triggers confrontation and causes bodily injuries to the protesters. In fact, the Ukrainian government does not send any troops to other regions as there is no need to do so. The regions are governed by legitimate state authorities comprising duly elected local representatives. Riots in Kharkov and other regions were provoked also by “protesters” brought to Ukraine from border regions with the Russian Federation, which is confirmed by numerous proofs.
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On March 1, 2014 Russian media reported about Russians in the Crimea who allegedly died as the Crimean Ministry of Internal Affairs was attacked. According to Russian and Ukrainian officials there was no lost. Ukrainian citizens, including the Crimeans, are aware of how complex the situation is. Therefore, they make every effort to prevent a provocation, i.e. killing of foreign nationals, which could lead to an outbreak of hostilities.
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Another myth promoted by pro-government media in Russia is a mass exodus of people from Ukraine to Russia because of riots. However, the riots are imitated in major cities to achieve the desired response and then the needed newsbreak. The real life in Ukrainian cities goes on: businesses, schools, hospitals, law enforcement agencies, public administration etc. operate as usual. Ukrainians have no reason to flee from the country and don’t do so.
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You may have heard that the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Crimea support and take the side of the Crimean government, while Crimeans welcome the presence of Russian troops in the Crimea. Despite the really tense situation, the ban on the use of weapons and constant attacks on places of deployment of Ukrainian troops, the Armed Forces of Ukraine remain faithful to their oath and are ready to defend their country. Moreover, the bringing of Russian troops into Ukraine was not universally supported by the Crimeans, as it infringes on their way of life and makes them fear for their future. After all, anyone understands that war is a tragedy.
It is our aim to communicate facts and unbiased information about what is going on in Ukraine to our friends, partners and other contacts around the world. It is obvious that Russian intervention as well as Russian territorial claims to Ukraine constitute gross violations of the basic principles of international law and are considered as interference with the internal affairs of a sovereign state. Thus Russia is violating its commitments on ensuring the integrity of the territory of Ukraine (Budapest Treaty). It is an obvious threat to peace in the world. The system of international treaties aims to improve peace in the world by creating the rules of coexisting that are binding on all the states.
The information field artificially created by Russia’s top leadership is a tool the Russian political elite are using skillfully to achieve their goals. But is this political game worth the losses the two related people may suffer?
Recent events have shown that no country in the world has come up with the support of Russian aggression in the Crimea. On the contrary, yesterday’s UN Security Council meeting showed that the leading countries of the world, such as the United States, France, Britain, Australia, China, and all the EU Member States stands for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine, strongly condemn Russia’s actions towards Ukraine and declare the application of appropriate sanctions to Russia.
Despite the alarming situation in the Crimea, life and work in the rest of Ukraine take their course. Everything is functioning normally, there is no panic. Our three offices also operate as usual.
Reasonable people should be aware of the fact that the situation in Ukraine is the beginning of a global military conflict of third world war scale with unimaginable consequences for the world.
Thank you for taking your time to read this message. We hope that common sense and the power of good will enable us to stand together against the political ambitions of some personalities to establish peace and tranquility in our beloved country.
We kindly ask you to support us, to support Ukraine today and to spread this information among your contacts if possible.
