The campaign will continue.
On Friday, April 22, at International Earth Day, the Center for Environmental Initiatives Ecodia, the Ukrainian Environmental Group and Exctinction Rebellion Ukraine held a symbolic photo campaign calling for an immediate embargo and a complete refusal to fund fossil fuel projects with Russian companies.
According to the organizers, this action is one of many that were organized by activists of the international movement Extinction Rebellion and other organizations in Europe and the world.
During the action, activists searched in the form of a large sign near the German consulate in Lviv, demanding an immediate embargo from EU members and other countries on fossil fuel trade with Russia, especially Germany as one of Russia's largest consumers of hydrocarbons. .
“German and European politicians have the means not only to weaken Putin's military machine, but even to stop the war in a few weeks. Solidarity hashtags are not enough. The European Union cannot continue to fund crimes against humanity, justified by its intention to prevent another financial crisis. Now is the time to act – for peace, for Ukraine and for future generations, “said Oleh Savitsky, a board member of the Ecodia NGO.
Activists' priority is to impose an immediate embargo on ALL fossil fuels from Russia, but activists also stress the need to get rid of global dependence on fossil fuels given the climate crisis and environmental pollution.
Ukrainian activists also support the initiative to establish a fossil fuel non-proliferation treaty at the UN level, which should ensure an orderly transition from fossil fuels to clean renewable energy sources, joining the calls of 101 Nobel laureates and more than 2,750 scientists from around the world.
“Since February 24, Russia has received more than 38 billion euros from EU countries for the sale of fossil fuels. More than a quarter of the federal budget is used for defense programs and finances the war in Ukraine. At the same time, a third of the revenue side of the federal budget is the export of hydrocarbons. There are no diplomatic methods left to influence the aggressor country. Russia's refusal to comply with the UN International Court of Justice's order to cease hostilities is proof of this. “The only way to end the war is to get rid of the fuel needle of a dictator who spends money on missiles to finance the genocide of Ukrainians and blackmail Europeans,” said Olga Yevstigneeva, coordinator of environmental projects at the UN Global Compact in Ukraine.
Read also: French Finance Minister: EU embargo on Russian oil – a matter of weeks
Recall that earlier Ukraine officially appealed to the European Union with a proposal to ban the import of energy resources from Russia.
