Last week, prominent Ukrainian intellectuals and civil society activists sent a message of solidarity to Belarusian protesters. UkraineWorld has published the English translation of the letter here.
Dear Belarusian sisters and brothers!
We are following events in your country with a mixture of joy and apprehension.
We feel joy because we are watching how your great nation, our neighbor and friend, is waking up. We worry, however, because we have been hearing from the news about new and new victims.
We, Ukrainians, have also come through these trials and ordeals. They are certainly not over. But we have chosen our path. The path is long and difficult, but we will not let it slip away.
We don’t have any intention to lecture you, because today it is not us but you who are showing to the whole world what it means to stand for freedom and dignity.
We only want to express our fraternal solidarity with you.
We worry about you, we are proud of you, and we love you.
We wish you victory, as your victory will also be our victory.
For Your and Our Freedom!
Long Live Belarus! Glory to Ukraine!
- Yevhen Bystrytskyi, philosopher, Ukraine’s Philosophy Institute
- Hennadiy Druzenko, lawyer, volunteer, war veteran, co-founder of the Mykola Pyrohov First Volunteer Mobile Hospital
- Volodymyr Dubrovskyi, economist, CASE Ukraine
- Olexiy Haran’, political scientist, National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, Democratic Initiatives Foundation
- Alexandra Hnatiuk, historian, National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, Ukrainian PEN-Centre
- Volodymyr Horbach, political analyst, Institute for Euro-Atlantic Cooperation
- Yaroslav Hrytsak, historian, Ukrainain Catholic University
- Serhiy Kvit, National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, Ukraine’s former education and science minister (2014-2016)
- Ihor Kozlovskyi, scholar in religious studies, prisoner of conscience by the so-called “DNR”
- Myroslav Marynovych, former political prisoner, Ukrainian Catholic University, First December Initiative Group
- Oleksandra Matviychuk, human rights activist, Centre for Civil Liberties
- Volodymyr Omelyan, politician, former Ukraine’s minister for infrastructure, 2016-2019
- Oleksiy Panych, philosopher, Ukrainian PEN-Centre
- Valeriy Pekar, entrepreneur, civic activist, “New Country” Civic Platform
- Natalya Popovych, Ukrainian Crisis Media Centre, One Philosophy Group
- Vitaliy Portnikov, columnist, journalist, Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Ukrainian PEN-Centre
- Mykola Riabchuk, writer, Ukrainian PEN-Centre
- Kostiantyn Sigov, philosopher, Centre for European and Humanities Studies at Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, publishing house Dukh I Litera
- Olena Stiazhkina, historian, writer
- Oleksandr Sushko, political expert, civic activist, International Renaissance Foundation
- Tetyana Teren, journalist, Ukrainian PEN-Center
- Volodymyr Yermolenko, philosopher, Internews Ukraine, UkraineWorld.org, National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy
- Yevhen Zakharov, human rights activist, Ukrainian Helsinki Group, Kharkiv Human Rights Group
- Yosyf Zissels, former political prisoner, First December Initiative Group
