Dear colleagues, friends and supporters,

We are sure that each of you is following the events in Ukraine and expresses its solidarity with the people of Ukraine.

Unfortunately, while communicating with our friends living in Europe, we realized how distorted is the information about the real events in our country.

First of all, we want to assure you that unity, patriotism and generosity of the Ukrainians in the recent months is awesome! For three months the peaceful Maidan has been demonstrating patience and heroism. Being completely unprotected physically, the people on Maidan started defending themselves against heavily armed police in response to severe beatings using stones and sticks.

It all began with a few hundred students protesting against the cynical abuse of public opinion – after the agreement on the European integration was not signed.

Once young boys (actually children!) were brutally beaten and thrown in prison, more than a million people gathered in the central Independence Square (Maidan).

From this moment the demand of people become stiff: those responsible for the beatings must be punished and the prisoners must be released! Instead of a dialogue with the citizens, President Yanukovych ordered to brutally disperse Maidan, using weapons and violating all rules and norms for such actions, while beating those who were wounded, as well as doctors and journalists!

After the first protesters were killed, people's anger resulted in the demand for the Government and the President to resign!

When on Maidan, tears were welling in our eyes: we saw incredible things! We saw a man with no legs who, in a wheelchair, with a hammer in his hands was smashing paving stones for the defense of the barricades. I saw children who with their moms and dads were carrying stones and bricks to the front line of defense. Eighty-year-old “babushkas” were baking cakes to feed the Maidan-ers. Old men were uttering words of prayer and inviting everybody to defend freedom and conscience!

On Maidan there were people of various nationalities, of various professions, they had various political and religious beliefs, they arrived from all part of Ukraine where different languages are spoken, but THESE PEOPLE UNDERSTOOD EACH OTHER PERFECTLY!

But what happened on January 19, and especially a month later on February 19, is beyond belief and it blows the mind of any person of sound judgment! Thousands of policemen armed with Kalashnikovs ruthlessly murdered young people who were armed only with shields and sticks! About a hundred heroes were killed. Now they are called a Heavenly Hundred! More than three hundred people are missing. About a thousand are injured.

All that time massive informational propaganda was being launched, which was nothing but misrepresentation and falsification of facts. For an outside observer it may be difficult to understand, but for two months, the police dressed in civilian clothes were shooting unarmed people, kidnapping them and threatening their families. And this was presented as if it was done by the protesters’ supporters. The riot police (“Berkut”) were throwing stun grenades into crowds of people, they were beheading and scalping protesters, undressing them in freezing temperatures and torturing them. The information war is continuing and gaining momentum.

Next events started unfolding at the speed of lightening! Forgetting his commitments to Europe and Ukraine, the President fled shamefully. The new elected Government and interim President were going to take the country out of the deep economic and political crisis.

But it was not to the old guard’s liking! Under the cover of outright lies Putin sent troops into the territory of Ukraine! The talk about some armed extremists, about “Ukrainian fascists” who allegedly came from the west, and about a threat to the Russians in Crimea are the sheer nonsense! There are no ethnic confrontations and there was none! If Putin or his cowardly advisers, saw (at least with the corner of their eye) the consolidation of the Ukrainians on Maidan, they would understand: the Ukrainian people are invincible ! And they are not extremists. In no way!

Among the heroes who died for the freedom of the country are all residents of Ukrainian cities, including the Crimeans and residents of the east of the country.

People in Crimea speak their native languages: Russian, Ukrainian and Tatar! The same situation is in Kiev, where, as before, more than half of the people communicate in Russian.

About 20,000 Russian soldiers are involved in the confrontation, putting pressure even on civilians and on families of the Ukrainian military.

And even in this difficult situation the Ukrainian armed forces behave with dignity and restraint! There is no shooting, but, of course, the stress is out-of-limit.

Putin's imperial habits are known to everybody, and Russia is trying to mislead the people around the world through the media and their squalid diplomats.

Ukraine expects the support of people all over the world –not only on the part of politicians, diplomats and the military. The support and understanding of ordinary citizens, students, artists and, of course, of businessmen is very important! Please, tell the truth to your friends and colleagues! Put pressure on those people in your country who make decisions.

Ukraine has already demonstrated to the world an example of consistency, diplomacy and heroism. We hope that your civil position will contribute to peace and stability not only in Ukraine but also in the whole of Europe!

Sincerely,

ERC management.