Stop the War coalition Newsletter 19/06/23

Posted: 18th June 2023

Newsletter – 09/06/23

A New Phase of Destruction

Ukraine’s counter-offensive against Russia has begun. Thousands from both sides are expected to loose their lives as the fighting intensifies. The frontline is more than 1,000km (620 miles) long and the Ukrainian army, with its western weapons and tanks, is attempting to penetrate Russia’s defensive positions fortified with anti-tank ditches, mazes of trenches, barricades of concrete and steel, and minefields. This phase in the war will be both dangerous and costly and is expected to last for months.

The devastating and far reaching impact of the Ukraine war became apparent this week with the collapse of the Nova Kakhovka dam. As water contaminated with sewage, oil, chemicals and possibly anthrax flows into the Dnipro River valley and onto the Black Sea the extent of the environmental impact is only just beginning to be realised. Concerns have now been raised over the safety of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant. The need for peace talks has never been more urgent.

Notably both sides in this conflict are blaming the other for the destruction of the dam. As Chris Nineham says in the first of his series on war propaganda ‘Western powers, the Ukrainian government and the Russian authorities are working flat out to maintain popular support for the deadliest military mobilisations in Europe since the Second World War.’ With the fog of war comes censorship, any questioning of the official narrative is ‘met with McCarthyist-style denunciation.’ But we must not give up or give in. Instead we must make our calls for peace even louder.

Read Chris Nineham’s Article Here

Yet calls for peace and a negotiated settlement are treated with contempt. In Vienna this week a global peace conference was the victim of cancel culture as venues pulled out at the last minute at the behest of Austria’s Ukrainian ambassador. In an attempt to smear those involved in the peace summit the ambassador accused the organisers of being fifth columnists and Russian stooges. In a war supposedly being fought for democracy censorship is rife.

Why We Need Peace in Ukraine – Online Meeting

Following the backlash against the UCU anti-war resolution StW is inviting all activists and trade unionists to join us to discuss the prospects for peace in Ukraine. On Tuesday 20 June at 6:30pm we will hear from Stop the War’s Lindsey German, activist and journalist Tariq Ali and Sean Vernell from UCU’s national executive committee.

Register Now!

This Week’s Anti-War Briefing