We, representatives of the International Association of Friends of Crimea, in regards of Russia's decision to conduct a special military operation to demilitarize and deNazify Ukraine in accordance with Russia's Treaties of Friendship and Mutual Assistance with the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics, state the following.
It is clear to all right-thinking people on Earth that Russia cannot feel safe in the face of the anti-Russian actions of the nationalist regime in Kyiv, of the deployment of NATO military facilities in Ukraine, of the blackmail by the Ukrainian leadership to begin building nuclear weapons and of the refusal of the United States and NATO to provide guarantees against the expansion of the alliance. The last straw that overflowed Russia's patience was the growing, even after Moscow's recognition of the DNR and LNR, shelling of towns in Donbass and deaths, as well as Kiev's unwillingness to give up plans for military "mopping up" of these republics.
Since the creation of our association in 2017, we have repeatedly and publicly warned of the need to end the blockade of Crimea and the blatant violation of the rights of its residents, to take into account Russia's position, of the importance of resuming a constructive dialogue between Western countries and the Russian Federation, of implementing the principles of indivisible and equal security for both sides.
We share the view expressed by the Russian leadership that Ukrainian nationalists will never forgive the people of Crimea for the free choice they made in 2014 and that the current regime in Kiev is ready for armed provocations against the peninsula.
"International Platform for the De-Occupation of Crimea (Crimean Platform)," Kyiv's 2021 adventurous project that was supported by Western countries, formalized in the form of an official document signed by them, the purpose of which was to question and threaten the territorial integrity of Russia, inevitably led to a sharp aggravation of the situation not only around the peninsula, but also in the entire Black Sea region. All the Clubs of Friends of Crimea in their respective countries demanded from the authorities not to take part in this provocative scheme. Unfortunately, our call to stop the obvious slide of the world towards military conflict was not heard neither in the USA nor in Europe.
In this regard, we, together with all peace-loving people on the planet, stand for the elimination of the hotbed of neo-Nazism in Europe, on the territory of Ukraine, and call on the ruling circles of the United States and NATO countries to stop their senseless and dangerous actions against the people of Crimea and to begin a constructive dialogue with Russia on ensuring equal mutual security.
We stand for peace in Europe and the world and for good-neighborly and equal relations among all peoples.
27. February 2022.