By Brian Bonner
April 4, 2021
Kyiv Post
The Ukrainian World Congress, the global voice for 20 million Ukrainians who live abroad, is “deeply concerned with Russia’s recent build-up of military forces at Ukraine’s border and violation of its cease-fire agreement,” the organization said in an April 2 statement. “Equally troubling are the series of provocative statements by Russian President Vladimir Putin, other officials, and Russian media personalities regarding Ukraine. All these developments have raised the prospect that Moscow might launch a new offensive in Ukraine.
The organization notes that, in recent weeks, Russia has been amassing unprecedented forces along the border with Ukraine, particularly in the occupied Crimean peninsula, and in the Rostov, Bryansk and Voronezh regions of the Russian Federation. “This has coincided with a breakdown in the cease-fire on the part of Russian proxy forces along the line of contact in the war-torn Donbas region of Ukraine, which has led to several deaths and multiple casualties of Ukrainian service people,” the UWC said.
“The current escalation in and around eastern and southern Ukraine, the largest in recent years, poses a threat not only to the stability of Ukraine but also to the Black Sea and European regions. The UWC condemns Russia’s escalating provocations, which have been coupled with brutal threats from Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov that Ukraine could face destruction.”
Ukrainian World Congress President Paul Grod said that the association welcomes “the strong statements by international leaders, including U.S. President Joe Biden and the foreign ministers of Canada and the U.K., condemning Russia’s recent actions. These reassurances to the Ukrainian people are comforting as they face an increasingly belligerent and aggressive Russian leadership. We call on all European leaders as well as the entire global community to stand with Ukraine against Russia’s increasing military aggression.
The Ukrainian World Congress urges Ukrainian communities and friends of Ukraine worldwide to closely monitor the current situation and call on their respective governments to support Ukraine in defending its sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Established in 1967, the Ukrainian World Congress is the global voice for the Ukrainian people worldwide. As an international non-governmental organization, we represent the interests of over 20 million Ukrainians in the diaspora, unite Ukrainian communities and organizations in over 60 countries, and work to support a democratic, prosperous, European Ukraine. The UWC is recognized by the United Nations Economic and Social Council as a non-governmental organization with special consultative status and has a participatory status as an international non-governmental organization with the Council of Europe.