#MakeRussiaPay: A meter-long check will be displayed on the street of Brussels, listing Russia’s crimes 

Throughout December, protests under the slogan #MakeRussiaPay are taking place in cities across Europe and USA. Activists demand that Western countries confiscate frozen assets of the Russian Central Bank and transfer these funds to Ukraine for protection against Russian aggression and further reconstruction. The total amount in question is approximately $300 billion.

On December 14, at 18:00, a protest will take place in Brussels at Pl. du Luxembourg, 1050 Ixelles.

During the protest, a meter-long check will be presented detailing Russia’s crimes in the war against Ukraine. These include damages inflicted by Russia on the Ukrainian economy, culture, housing sector, education, medicine, etc. The check indicates a sum of $300 billion that Russia can already pay for the committed offenses. Western governments froze the assets of the Russian Central Bank for this amount in the early days of the full-scale war.

Protests are taking place in European countries and the United States because it is the governments of the countries that can decide on the confiscation of these funds and transfer them to Ukraine.

“Confiscation of $300 billion of Russian assets is a sustainable solution for assisting Ukraine in the mid-and long-term perspective. However, this is not even the full amount of damage Russia has caused to Ukraine over the first year of the full-scale war and continues to inflict every day. Putin is confidently building up his war machine, so Ukraine critically needs resources for self-defense and reconstruction. Russia must start paying for its aggressive war,” commented Olena Halushka, co-founder of the International Center for Ukrainian Victory (ICUV).

Among the organizers of the protests – Communities Army Ukraine, Svitanok NYC, the International Centre for Ukrainian Victory, Ukrainian diaspora worldwide.

The first protest under the #MakeRussiaPay call took place in Washington. The civic organization Svitanok NYC organized the rally, gathering people near the White House with a demand for decisive action regarding the confiscation of assets and providing sufficient weaponry for Ukraine’s victory. A protest under the same slogans also took place in Milan.