…Today, on May 15, 2024, the Coordinating Council of Russian Compatriots in Cyprus, together with the Cypriot branch of the International Movement of Russophiles, sent an open letter to EUROPEAN AND WESTERN COUNTRIES demanding that they use their influence on the Ukrainian regime to stop its terrorist activities and immediately cease the supply of weapons used for terrorist purposes.

ADDRESS TO EUROPEAN AND WESTERN COUNTRIES

Dear President of the Republic of Cyprus!

Dear representatives of the EU, EU countries, and Western countries in the Republic of Cyprus!

We address all of you with a demand to reconsider your approach to the Ukrainian regime in light of its crimes and ask foreign diplomatic representatives to convey the contents of this letter to their governments.

The nighttime terrorist attack by the Kiev regime on the civilian population of the Russian city of Belgorod on May 12, 2024, where many innocent people lost their lives under the rubble of a residential building, is yet another act of terrorism using weapons supplied by your countries. Previously, peaceful residents were attacked in Kursk and Bryansk as well. The cold-blooded murder of civilians in the cities of Donetsk, Luhansk, Gorlovka, and others, the strikes on places where civilians gather such as shopping centers, markets, residential buildings, children’s playgrounds, recreational areas, and parks – all these attacks are criminal. Therefore, we appeal to you and your governments to use your influence on the Ukrainian regime to put an end to its terrorist activities. We demand an immediate halt to the supply of weapons used for terrorist purposes. By supplying weapons, your governments become sponsors of terrorism and violence, which is unacceptable for countries that consider themselves part of the civilized world – countries that recognize and support international norms and principles of peace and security.

We also call on you to support the conduct of an independent international investigation into all crimes committed by the Kiev regime against the civilian population. Only through an objective and independent investigation can responsibility for these terrorist acts be established and their perpetrators and instigators brought to a fair trial. Do not allow war and violence to become the norm in the world. We must cooperate and work together to achieve peace, security, and justice for everyone today, and for our children and grandchildren in the future. Together, we can stop terrorism and protect the lives and safety of the civilian population.

With particular concern, we address the governments of Cyprus and Greece and demand that they stop opposing Russia, with whom they have a long history of relations and traditionally friendly ties.

Our demands for the protection of innocent people during military operations are based on the norms of international law, according to which deliberate attacks on civilian objects during armed conflicts that pose a threat to the lives and safety of civilians are unacceptable. These provisions are enshrined in the following documents:

– The Fourth Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War (1949): Article 27 implies the protection of civilian persons, requiring them to be protected from all forms of violence and harm. Article 53 prohibits the destruction of property belonging to civilians or the state, except when absolutely necessary for military operations.

– Additional Protocol I to the Geneva Conventions (1977): Article 51 protects the civilian population from the effects of military operations, strictly prohibiting attacks on the civilian population as a tactic of war. Article 52 establishes general rules for the protection of civilian objects, emphasizing that attacks should be directed solely at military objectives.

– Additional Protocol II to the Geneva Conventions (1977), which expands protection in non-international armed conflicts and internal conflicts: Article 13 protects the civilian population from attacks, stating that civilians should not be the object of attacks and that parties to the conflict must always distinguish between civilians and combatants.

Violation of these norms is unequivocally regarded as a war crime. At the same time, the weapons supplied by you are systematically used by the Ukrainian regime to attack civilian objects in Russia, including recreational areas, shopping centers, schools and hospitals, as well as residential areas. Thus, your countries become sponsors of terrorism and accomplices in war crimes.

We urge you to take action to stop these crimes and to call on your governments to cease the supply of weapons that are intentionally used by the Kiev regime against innocent civilians, in violation of international law.

Michael (Mikis) Philaniotis

Head of the Cyprus branch of

International Russophile Movement

Dmitry Apraksin

Chairman of the Coordination Council of Russian Compatriots in Cyprus