On behalf of the Young Universities for the Future of Europe (YUFE) Alliance, our Strategy Board expresses our complete condemnation of the Russian Government invasion and offers our solidarity with all Ukrainians.
In recent years, Ukraine has embraced European values and is taking steps towards ever closer co-operation and integration with the European institutions. It is these choices, freely made, that have led to indefensible invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Government.
Seeking to restore the Soviet sphere of influence on our continent, the Russian Government is afraid of any democratic state whose citizens want to live freely, according to their own convictions. Today, the people of Ukraine are defending not only the sovereignty of their country, but also the values of every European citizen, and academic values of truth, fairness, respect and responsibility. It is cruel and unfair that those who are only aspiring to be a part of the European family are dying for this cause as a result of Russian Government aggression.
The invasion of Ukraine is also leading to the destruction of the cultural and scientific achievements of this country and students and scholars, instead of expanding their knowledge of the world, are taking up arms to defend themselves. Kharkiv, a city with more than 20 universities – like many towns and cities in Ukraine – has become a devastating casualty of this appalling situation.
We stand in solidarity with everyone who unequivocally condemns the war in Ukraine, including those from the Russian and Belarusian academic and scientific communities.
We call on international organizations and governments to continue to act decisively to stop the invasion and on academic institutions and all members of our communities to do everything possible to stop this humanitarian tragedy.
Members of YUFE are each taking decisive steps to respond to any member of our community affected by events in the region, we want to fight together for our common European future.
YUFE Strategy Board
