Russian invasion of Ukraine is real

THE EDITOR, Madam:

This is an open letter to Mr Sergey Petrovich, ambassador of the Russian Federation to Jamaica

Dear Ambassador Petrovich,

I am writing further to your article titled ‘Fighting fake news in Ukraine’ published in The Gleaner on March 14, a few comments appear to be in order.

In it you mention a number of claims, originating from various sources, that you have labelled as being fake, and in a parallel article you elaborate on these so-called fake claims, two examples of which are:

a) Russian tank drowned in a pond in Ukraine

b) Ukrainian army eliminated four Russian helicopters near Kherson

These and other similar items give the impression that you are attempting to nullify any announcements that might boost the morale of Ukrainians or anyone supporting them. In so doing you appear to have lost sight of the war itself and all the destruction, and instead focus only on the notion of winning.

Another item you claim to be false, namely that the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, is not in Kyiv but that he is “presumably” in Lviv, near Ukraine’s western border. This seems to have the reduction of Ukrainian morale as its underlying objective.

Similar to the previous claims, and with all due regard, is Mr Zelenskyy’s location the major consideration, and does it really matter whether he is in Kyiv, Lviv, Stalingrad, Moscow, or the North Pole? What seems to be of much greater significance is the circumstance that has precipitated the actual location of Mr Zelenskyy into becoming an issue, namely the invasion of Ukraine by Russia. One of the many relevant definitions, all of which match the incident, is “an activity in which one group of persons forcibly enters the premises of another group”, and whether it be termed a special operation or not, it is certainly an invasion. It is the invasion itself that is the significant issue here.

Another item you label as a false claim is that the Russian army committed atrocities in the villages near Kiev. But whether true or false, what is clearly true is that the real atrocity in this situation is the invasion of Ukraine.

Are all the photos of the destruction of thousands of buildings fake news? Are the reports of civilian fatalities fake news? Are the reports of over three million refugees fleeing Ukraine westward into neighbouring European countries fake news?

Events of the past, and earlier historical precedents, regardless of how outrageous and compelling they may be, cannot provide justification for the situation at hand.

This is a call for Russia to stop the brutalities and pull out of Ukraine, instead of preparing to inflict even greater damage and slaughter, which seems like the anticipated plan.

In the meantime Mr Petrovich, please continue to enjoy our country as best you can.

DAVID ABRIKIAN