Environmentalist protests against Russian ecocide in Ukraine span seven continents

On International Earth Day, EcoUnity For Ukraine events took place worldwide as part of the #StopEcocideUkraine campaign. People on all six continents joined hands and formed a living chain to draw the world's attention to the environmental crimes committed by Russia during its war of aggression against Ukraine.

Rubryka reports that 42 cities in 22 countries joined the campaign: the US, UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, Finland, Denmark, Lithuania, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, Romania, Georgia, Australia, Japan, Argentina, Kenya, and others.

The call to punish Russian eco-terrorists was heard in seventeen languages.

Among the participants of EcoUnity For Ukraine, you could see people wearing embroidered shirts and wreaths with posters and blue-yellow flags.

The environmentalists called to stop the Russian ecocide in Ukraine and save the world from the nuclear threat. One of the most exotic locations of the campaign turned out to be a nature reserve in Kenya. Giraffes "joined" the demonstrators there.

"Russian terrorists stop at nothing. Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, they have burned 495,000 hectares of Ukrainian forests and damaged 20% of nature conservation areas. The hostilities have affected six hundred species of animals and 750 species of plants and mushrooms," Oleksandr Todorchuk, UAnimals founder and co-organizer of EcoUnity For Ukraine. "Unfortunately, the world still does not fully understand that Russia's environmental crimes can have negative consequences not only for Ukraine but also for humanity, our children, and grandchildren."

Todorchuk reported that the living chain, with a length of more than 60,000 kilometers, has united people from all continents for the sake of protecting all living things and for the sake of a future where everyone will treat nature with respect and live in harmony with it.

"Even though the eco-activist movement is quite active in the world, and in many countries of the collective West, ecology is a key issue of the political process and socio-economic development, the international eco-community, in our opinion, pays insufficient attention to Russia's environmental crimes in Ukraine," representatives of the partner organization Communities Army of Ukraine (CAU) noted. "Due to Russian aggression, our state is losing its natural resources, forests, steppes, seas, and animals and plants today. Russia's treacherous war against Ukraine leads to climate change and causes enormous damage to the environment."

CAU representative added that our nature would feel the consequences of this war for decades to come. "So we believe that all civilized countries should immediately condemn the Kremlin's eco crimes and try to stop the Russian ecocide!" he concluded.

Employees of the Ukrainian Antarctic station "Akademik Vernadskyi" also joined the live chain.

"In Antarctica, we observe whales whose populations are recovering after the barbaric whaling of the last century. At the same time, the cetaceans of our native seas – dolphins and porpoises – suffer greatly from the war and will also need recovery," Oksana Savenko, marine biologist and employee of the Vernadskyi station. "When people talk about victims of war, they mean people, but we must tell the whole world about those who cannot tell their story. We would like, together with other action participants, to stand up for protecting the nature of Ukraine."

Over 30 communities worldwide were involved in the EcoUnity For Ukraine action, initiated by the humanist movement UAnimals, the public organization Communities Army of Ukraine, and the KLYCH community.

The demonstrations occurred in the #StopEcocideUkraine campaign, which UAnimals launched in 2022.

Reference

UAnimals is a national humanist movement and human rights organization that has existed since 2016 and promotes the humane treatment of animals and protects them from exploitation and abuse.

During the seven years of activity, the movement achieved the adoption of important animal protection laws in Ukraine. It reached a ban on the exploitation of animals in circuses in about 30 Ukrainian cities.

In 2017, the UAnimals team held the first All-Ukrainian march for animal rights, which gathered more than 5,000 people and became the largest animal rights event in Eastern Europe.

From February 24, 2022, the movement focused on rescuing animals in war zones and temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine. In February 2023, the UAnimals team awarded the first All-Ukrainian animal welfare award to twenty zoo activists who saved the lives of animals during Russia's war.

The Community Army of Ukraine (CAU) is a public organization that unites the Ukrainian community abroad for the fastest possible victory of Ukraine.

KLYCH is a community for creators of actions and large-scale events supporting Ukraine worldwide.

Support UAnimals:

Website of the movement: https://uanimals.org/how-to-help/

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/uanimals