No War!
We, artists, curators, architects, critics, art historians, art managers – representatives of culture and art of the Russian Federation – initiated and sign this open letter, which we consider insufficient, but On February 24, 2022, the Russian Federation launched a sudden, aggressive and open military offensive throughout Ukraine. The reason for it was declared the “protection of the inhabitants of the DPR and LPR”, while military operations are being conducted throughout Ukraine and in its major cities: Kiev, Lviv, Kharkiv, Odessa and others. Among the residents of these cities are a large number of our relatives, friends, acquaintances and colleagues.
We demand an end to this war, which has been going on since 2014 with Ukraine, a sovereign and independent state, and to begin negotiations with it on a respectful and equal basis. The war in Ukraine is a terrible tragedy for both Ukrainians and Russians. It entails huge human casualties, jeopardizes the economy and security, and will lead our country to complete international isolation. At the same time, it is completely meaningless – any coercion to peace through violence is absurd. The pretext under which the deployment of the “special operation” took place was entirely constructed by representatives of the Russian authorities, and we oppose the fact that this war was waged on our behalf. However, on behalf of the professional community, it is also important for us to say that a further escalation of the war will have irreparable consequences for art and cultural workers. This will take away from us the last opportunities to fully work, speak out, create projects, popularize and develop culture, and take away the future.
Everything that has been done culturally over the past 30 years has now been put at risk: all international ties will be severed, cultural private or public institutions will be conserved, and partnerships with other countries will be suspended. All this will destroy the already fragile economy of Russian culture and significantly reduce its importance both for Russian society and for the international community as a whole. We, artists, curators, architects, critics, art historians, art managers – representatives of culture and art of the Russian Federation – express our absolute solidarity with the inhabitants of Ukraine and say resolutely “NO TO WAR!”. We demand the immediate cessation of all hostilities, the withdrawal of Russian troops from the territory of Ukraine and the holding of peace negotiations.
Now signed by 20,000 artists.
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