Russian journalists published an open letter condemning the "special military operation" against Ukraine announced by Russian President Vladimir Putin on the morning of February 24.
"We, Russian media correspondents and experts who write about Russia's foreign policy, condemn the military operation launched by Russia in Ukraine. War has never been and will never be a method of conflict resolution and there is no justification for it," the journalists said.
So far, more than 70 media workers have left their signatures. Among them are journalists from Kommersant, Dozhd, Novaya Gazeta, RBC, Echo of Moscow, The Bell, RTVI, Snob, 7x7, Izvestia, Mediazone, and others.
Russian scientists and scientific journalists also spoke out against Russian military action in Ukraine.
THE TEXT OF THE OPEN LETTER:
"This fatal step leads to enormous loss of life and undermines the foundations of the established system of international security. The responsibility for unleashing a new war in Europe lies entirely with Russia. There is no reasonable justification for this war. Attempts to use the situation in Donbas as a pretext for deploying a military operation are not credible. It is quite clear that Ukraine does not pose a threat to the security of our country. The war against it is unfair and frankly pointless. [...] By unleashing a war, Russia condemned itself to international isolation, to the position of a pariah country. It means that now we scientists will not be able to do our work properly: after all, scientific research is inconceivable without full cooperation with colleagues from other countries. The isolation of Russia from the world means a further cultural and technological degradation of our country with a complete lack of positive prospects. War with Ukraine is a step to nowhere."