On February 24th and 25th, peaceful protests took place in over a hundred cities worldwide, commemorating the anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. One of the main calls of the protests in Europe and the USA was the message regarding the necessity to confiscate Russian assets #MakeRussiaPay. Participants of the demonstrations demanded Western countries confiscate the frozen assets of the Russian Central Bank and transfer these funds to support Ukraine. The total amount of these funds is approximately $300 billion.
Participants in around thirty events across Europe, the USA, and Japan took to the streets holding checks detailing Russia’s crimes against the economy and infrastructure of Ukraine over the two years of war. According to the latest calculations published by the World Bank, as of the end of December 2023, the total cost of reconstruction and recovery in Ukraine amounts to $486 billion over the next decade. A year ago, this figure was $411 billion. The call to make Russia pay $300 billion is written on the checks. This amount represents assets frozen by Western governments before the full-scale war as a result of their decisions.
Protests took place in Brussels, London, Stockholm, Warsaw, Copenhagen, Bern, Mainz, Malaga, Porto, Berlin, Rome, Paris, Munich, Valence, Edinburgh, Atlanta, Krakow, Bremen, Halle, West Palm Beach, Düsseldorf, Ottawa, Charleston, Tokyo, and other cities.
The design of the check was developed by the International Center for Ukrainian Victories (ICUV) in collaboration with the creative agency oversize.agency as part of the advocacy campaign for the confiscation of Russian assets #MakeRussiaPay. The layout was distributed among communities in various countries, and anyone interested could print it out and bring it to demonstrations.
Demonstrations in various countries were organized by local Ukrainian organizations, coordinated by the international grassroots movement Communities Army of Ukraine and the KLYCH community (USA). All actions took place as part of the campaign “Light Will Win Over Darkness.”
Olena Halushka, co-founder of the International Center for Ukrainian Victories (ICUV), commented
“The transfer of $300 billion of Russian assets is a medium- to long-term solution to Ukraine’s financial problems. Although it’s not even the full amount of damage Russia has inflicted on our state and continues to inflict every day. Putin is steadily strengthening his war machine, so Ukraine critically needs resources for self-defense and reconstruction. Russia must start paying for its aggressive war.”
Representatives of the “Communities Army of Ukraine” emphasized that Russia’s full-scale aggression against Ukraine has been ongoing for two years, while the war unleashed by the Kremlin against our state has lasted for ten.
“The enemy continues to ruthlessly attack, attempting to seize Ukraine, killing Ukrainians, both military and civilian, continues constant rocket and artillery shelling and destruction, continues to commit war crimes and terror against the Ukrainian peaceful population. Our resources are being depleted, we need their restoration and multiplication. The international community must not lose hope, it must believe in Ukraine, in its victory, it must act for Ukraine, and therefore — for the preservation of democracy in the world.”
— shared the organizers.
ICUV and ANTS – National Interests Advocacy Network in partnership with the Communities Army of Ukraine are conducting an advocacy campaign #MakeRussiaPay, aimed at achieving the confiscation of Russian assets from the Central Bank and transferring these funds to Ukraine. As part of this campaign, dozens of advocacy visits have been made to Europe and the USA, participation in conferences on confiscation, publication of materials in international media, organizing a thematic art exhibition in Brussels (Belgium), demonstrations with the call #MakeRussiaPay, and publication of analytical materials on arguments why confiscation is real and necessary.
“We are grateful to the Ukrainian communities abroad for supporting the #MakeRussiaPay initiative. The active stance of Ukrainians and friends of Ukraine worldwide is extremely important as it continues to remind the world about the war in Ukraine. All communities share the desire to help Ukraine and contribute to its victory.”
— noted the organizers.
