Europe must finally act decisively – two experts and a war opponent on Putin-Russia’s fight against freedom!

Valerio kruiger

Valerio Krüger

Dear readers, the struggle for freedom and peace is a painful daily reality for millions of people in massive brutality just a few hundred kilometres to the east of us.

Tens of thousands of members of Ukrainian families are fighting on the front line, while civilians in Ukrainian cities are being wounded and killed by Russian missiles and drones. While Putin is currently preparing for the “celebrations” in Moscow to mark the “victory over fascism”, thousands of Ukrainian civilians are still in the hands of the Russian occupying forces. In this context, I would like to refer to the presentations by the Russian experts Igor Eidman аnd Lew Ponomarjow who were speakers at this year’s conference in Bonn.

While the Russian sociologist Eidman describes the advance of authoritarian forces worldwide, in which Russia, as a pioneer of this development, is deliberately undermining democratic values and fundamental rights, the Russian human rights defender Lev Ponomaryov calls on Europe to take a firm stand. Eidman also emphasises Europe’s critical role as a defender of democratic values and human rights at a time when these are being threatened by authoritarian forces such as Putin’s Russia.

Meanwhile, Russian opponents of the war are also fighting for freedom in court. One such opponent is 19-year-old artist Daria Kozyreva. On 18 April 2025, she was sentenced to two years and eight months in prison for allegedly “repeatedly discrediting the deployment of the armed forces of the Russian Federation”. Daria had pinned a section of the poem “Legacy” by the most important Ukrainian national poet Taras Shevchenko to his monument in St. Petersburg. In her closing words, she left a powerful message of solidarity with Ukraine.

And what do we do? Our mission does not stop at listening. We act, become active and get involved. We continue to collect information about abducted Ukrainian civilians and campaign for their release at various levels. We also remain committed to the people in Russia who stand up against the terror of the Putin regime and end up in prison or have to leave the country as a result. And of course we can only do these things because we have great supporters – both full-time and voluntary, here in Russia and worldwide. So thank you to everyone who stands up for human rights and defends freedom with us.

Best regards,

Valerio Krüger
Spokesman of the Board of the German IGFM Section e.V.