Call for a rally:
On Monday morning, 8 July, Russia carried out another terrorist missile attack on Ukraine. By Monday evening, Russia had killed 31 civilians and injured 125 more. In Kyiv, Russian missiles struck ‘Okhmatdit’ – a renowned children’s hospital – and a maternity hospital. Dozens of children were injured. There is no explanation or excuse for this abhorrent cruelty. As the past has shown, Russia will continue its aggressive actions and the suffering it inflicts on the people of Ukraine unabated unless effective measures are taken to end this violence. It cannot be made any clearer – together, we must stop Russia!
We call on you to join our demonstration under the slogan ‘Stop Russian terror in Ukraine! Support Ukraine!’ Every second of hesitation means that more Ukrainians will be killed. Ukraine needs our support! We must provide Ukraine with all the military equipment it needs to defend itself, without any restrictions on its use!
Join us on Wednesday, 10 July, at 6 p.m. on the market square in front of the town hall to stand up to Russian terror and support Ukraine!
MAVKA German-Ukrainian Association 09.07.2024
Speeches at the rally:
Speech by Yurii Radiev, member of the board of MAVKA e.V.:
We have gathered here today for a terrible reason. On Monday morning, 8 July, Russia launched a massive missile attack on Ukraine, targeting energy infrastructure, industry and, most horrifically, medical and civilian infrastructure. In Kyiv alone, Russia has so far killed 34 civilians (including five children) and injured more than 120. Across the country, nearly 50 people were killed and nearly 200 injured in this attack. But the most horrific, inhumane and abhorrent act was Russia’s direct attack on the Okhmatdit Children’s Hospital. Yes, you heard correctly: it was a targeted, direct attack on a children’s hospital where three operations were being performed at the time. Although Russian propaganda claims that it was a Ukrainian air defence missile, numerous dashcam and surveillance camera footage captured the moment of impact, clearly showing a Russian Kh-101 missile heading directly towards the hospital, undamaged. So how can this war crime be classified? What ‘red lines’ has Russia not yet crossed? Are there any red lines left for Russia to cross, or will the world simply stand by and watch as it commits one war crime after another, each more horrific than the last? Was the documented killing, torture and rape of thousands of civilians in Bucha and Irpin not enough? Was the destruction of one of the world’s largest water reservoirs, Lake Kakhovka, and the resulting flooding of dozens of towns and villages not enough? Are two and a half years of deliberate, systematic and sustained destruction of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure not enough to finally unite and say to Russia: ‘STOP!’?
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The full text of the speech can be found here.
Speech by Hubert Kleinert, spokesperson for the Zeitenwende Marburg initiative:
Dear residents of Marburg, dear friends of MAVKA,
We have gathered here to express our protest and outrage. Once again, Russia has committed a heinous war crime. The missile attacks on Kyiv have not only claimed 31 lives. The attack on a hospital did not just wipe out the lives of innocent children. It shows once again the criminal nature of Russia’s war against Ukraine. Russia’s claim that Ukrainian missiles hit the hospital is outrageous. They are now trying to use lies and deceit to deny their own responsibility for this barbaric act.
The whole incident shows in a particularly dramatic way that Putin’s Russia is continuing unabated in its goal of destroying the existence of an independent Ukrainian state. Russia is using all means at its disposal, without any regard for civilian targets or civilian casualties. This warfare is criminal, there can be no doubt about that.
But there must also be no doubt that Russia must not be allowed to get away with this. The entire civilised world must condemn this barbaric act – including those who have so far hesitated to take a clear position in this war.
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The full text of the speech can be found here.
Speech by Ludmila Heck, Chairwoman of MAVKA e.V.:
Dear participants, we are gathered here today to express our strong protest against Russia’s horrific attack on the Okhmatdyt Children’s Hospital in Kyiv on Monday. While doctors were operating on children with heart disease and administering dialysis and chemotherapy, Russian missiles struck this sacred place. This can no longer be tolerated. We must act, and the responsibility for doing so lies with all of us.
When the Soviet Union collapsed, Ukraine, like other countries, had the opportunity to build its democracy. However, it was forced to give up its nuclear weapons under the promise of protection. The West guaranteed support in the event of an attack, and Russia promised not to attack. Both promises were broken. The West remains silent while Ukraine suffers from the war. Even news about this war is no longer being shown because people are tired of it.
As long as we still have freedom and access to information, we must understand the full extent of what is happening. The weapons that were promised are not being delivered. Air safety is not working. So what did the Budapest Memorandum of December 1994 guarantee us? The fact that my elderly mother now has to leave her home? Or that children are afraid to go to hospital because they might be hit by a missile?
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The full text of the speech can be found here.
