This is the russian propaganda: to make the victims of war look like enemies of peace.

3. letter from Kyiv

I am writing to you from Kyiv. The sounds and dramas of the world reach us despite the noise of the bombs. The enormous tragedy that has struck Turkey and Syria touches us. I’m deeply saddened for the victims and with admiration for the rescuers who are still searching for survivors among the rubble. Wars and natural disasters are the breeding ground for the worst and the best of humanity.

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There is a strange atmosphere here in Kyiv. Everyone feels and knows that russia is preparing a new major offensive. The russian leadership cannot stand the fact that its megalomaniac dreams of neo-imperialism have crashed against the wall of Ukrainian resistance. russia wants to make up for the insult and needs a strong symbolic victory. Commentators talk about an offensive in the East. Here, we all know what the invaders' troops have in mind, namely the capital Kyiv.

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It will be difficult for them to capture Kyiv, but they will want to encircle it. They are gathering material and troops for that. They are changing their tactics. But they have not changed their vision: Ukraine is to be wiped off the map. Ukraine has no right to exist for them, neither as a state nor as a culture. This is how everything is justified: the constant attacks on civilian infrastructures, the rape of women, the deportation, forced adoption, and the russification of children.

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The more the war progresses, the greater the hatred becomes. The Patriarch of Moscow now calls for the "annihilation" of the Ukrainian people. The russians not only commit heinous crimes but are proud of them. They bathe daily in a malodorous mixture of a sense of superiority, exaggeration, and lies.?

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The russians have been working tirelessly since day one of the war to flood the world with their propaganda and narratives. They believe that the Western population may eventually tire. This is called "compassion fatigue." I think they are wrong. Just as they underestimated the Ukrainian people and the Ukrainian army, they also underestimate the willingness of Europeans and Americans to defend their values and support their allies.

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Nevertheless, this propaganda is bearing fruit. I see this in the issue of arms deliveries. I read between the lines that some think that we are exaggerating, that we are demanding more and more, that the russians should be reached out to. In short, it is implied that Ukrainians are real warmongers. This is the strength of russian propaganda: to make the victims look like enemies of peace and, above all, to make people forget that it is russia that is attacking a free and sovereign country and, as a permanent member of the UN Security Council, is trampling all the principles of international law.

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There are also very targeted strategic propaganda actions, such as the attempts to get the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to allow russian and Belarusian athletes to participate in the Paris Olympics. russia wants to instrumentalize the neutrality of sports to cleanse its crimes. This must not be allowed to happen.

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russia interprets any hesitation on the part of the international community as a sign of weakness and encouragement to continue. They will not succeed in demobilizing and dividing us. Our love for life and freedom is stronger than their hatred.

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I am writing to you from Kyiv to tell you all this. Thank you also for your unwavering support. For the past year, I have seen Germany's continued backing, I have met your Chancellor and ministers, here in Kyiv or on official visits to Berlin and elsewhere. I know that the overwhelming majority of the German people do not fall for propaganda and do not confuse aggressors with victims.

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Yes, we need weapons to defend ourselves. Yes, we need humanitarian material to deal with the aftermath of attacks that deliberately target civilians. I know that when the next wave of attacks comes, thanks to your help, we will be better prepared than we were a year ago, and we will be better able to protect civilian victims. I tell you that after this war we will be forever proud to have the German people as our brother nation. History will be my witness.

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Kyiv, February 13, 2023

#StandTogether #GloryToUkraine #WeAreAllUkrainians #RoadToParis2024 #Willpower?