Open Letter to Editor

Mr Ulanday,

In the article ‘A quest for peace in Europe’ published by The Inquirer on March 16, 2022, the author Bobby M. Tuazon claims that Russia needs to build a new security architecture in Europe. It is false narrative very typical and quite often used in Russian disinformation propaganda.

We need to bear in mind that the Russian aggression against Ukraine is not only about tanks and gunshots, but also about using one the most dangerous warfare of our times, i.e. disinformation.

For months preceding the day of invasion, Russia had been instigating a wide array of disinformation machinery, taking advantage of narratives demonising the alleged nationalism or pro-Nazi sentiments and NATO expansionism. Their aim was crystal clear: creation of a pretext for military action, justification of the aggression.

Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified military aggression against Ukraine is a blatant violation of the prohibition on the use of force under Art. 2 clause 4 Charter of the United Nations. It constitutes a breach of one of the most fundamental principles of international law and is a direct threat to security and stability in Europe and the world.

Russia has also breached a number of other international obligations and the fundamental principles of international law, including sovereign equality of states, non-interference in internal affairs and peaceful settlement of disputes, inviolability of borders. Being a permanent member of the UN Security Council Russia should uphold the United Nations Charter and not violate it. Russia attacked Ukraine in an attempt to seize land, power and property – as in a colonial-type war. The free world, including the Philippines, had not stood as a passive witness, but almost unanimously condemned Russia at the session of the UN General Assembly. The entire civilized world supports Ukraine withstanding Russian aggression.

Russia portrays the war against Ukraine as provoked by NATO or the West. NATO is a defensive alliance and has never considered attacking Russia. It was the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2014 that forced the Alliance to strengthen its defence of its eastern flank. NATO has not deployed troops to Ukraine. Moreover, it has repeatedly offered Russia a diplomatic path to work out solutions to disputes. Our continued efforts to engage in dialogue in various formats, including NATO, OSCE and bilateral, have been rejected by Russia.

The invasion is presented by Russia as a “special operation” aimed at stabilizing Ukraine. The truth is that this invasion is a full-scale war that Europe has not seen since World War II. We must be aware that this war radically changed the security situation in Europe and in the world. So far, even after the aggression on Ukraine in 2014, some countries have been still trying to sustain some kind of cooperation with Russia. Today it is obvious that such a resumption is no longer justified.

I’m outraged by Russia’s barbaric attacks on civilians, including children, as well as other non-military targets. Russia is deliberately violating the rules of international humanitarian law in order to “break” Ukrainian people and force them to surrender. We are concerned about a further increase in the Russian brutality.

A prosecutor from the International Criminal Court has arrived to Poland with a task of collecting evidence on war crimes and atrocities committed in Ukraine by the Russian forces. The data is being collected mainly from the refugees that had fled the war and found shelter in my home country. I sincerely hope that the perpetrators of war crimes will be brought to justice.

If we allow one superpower to crush another sovereign state, no country can feel safe anymore. The protection and stability provided by the rules-based international order will be lost. It is crucial for us to understand that Ukraine is a victim of Russian aggression and all actions that it is currently undertaking are carried out on the basis of the right to self-defense under Art. 51 of the United Nations Charter. Russia wants to destroy Ukraine simply because Ukrainians are not like them, because they have own vision of their future. Russia is not and can no longer be the guarantor of the security of other countries. As said the President of Ukraine, the world has chosen the right side of history.

Regards,

Jarosław Szczepankiewicz
Chargé d’affaires a.i.
The Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Manila