Excellent peace resource on the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine – including U.S. and NATO involvement. Over 7,500 links to peace voices, expert analysis, peace negotiations, the economic fallout, the resulting refugee crisis, and much more.
Back in the year 2000 in a BBC interview, Putin was quoted saying ‘Russia is a part of European culture. Therefore, it is with difficulty that I imagine NATO as an enemy.’ When asked about the possibility of joining Nato, he even went as far to say ‘Why not?’ as long as ‘Russia’s views are taken into account as those of an equal partner.’
Later in 2001, just a few weeks after the 9/11 attacks, during a speech to the German Bundestag, Putin announced unprecedented co-operation between Russia and the U.S., and again shared his vision of Russia’s European future.
Relations however had soured by the 2008 NATO Summit in Bucharest, where Eastern Expansion into Ukraine and Georgia was hot on the agenda. Fears regarding the increased polarisation and militarisation of the giant defence alliance were being felt by Russia.
The Western mainstream media places Russia firmly as the enemy, Russian media has become even more heavily censored, and all sides have committed to a confrontational approach - jumping directly to military solutions. Civilians, as always, are the biggest losers, as we witness yet again destruction by giant war machines, and the humanitarian crisis that inevitably follows.
Estimates put the total civilian death toll of the Russian invasion at almost 8,000, even more have been injured. This doesn’t include the number of medics, activists, and soldiers who have also lost their lives. Infrastructural damage inflicted by the war has resulted in a rebuild cost of more than 1 Trillion Euros.
Almost 5 million refugees have been created as a direct result of Putins’ invasion, causing unimaginable suffering. Human rights organisations have expressed concerns for a serious risk of genocide in Ukraine. Find lots of information on how to help and international solidarity.
The relationship between Russia and NATO has been strained for decades. Experts warned that eastern expansion of the alliance would add fuel to the fire. Regardless, since 1997, 14 countries have acceded. Learn more about the recent applications by Finland and Sweden.
At the Madrid 2022 summit, NATO added pressure on member countries to commit to a minimum 2% GDP on defense spending. The Russian invasion has turbo-charged Nato’s military expenditure. 7 countries have consequently increased their military budgets, even countries once considered neutral.
Russian repression has been an ongoing theme since the beginning of the war. Russia’s war on information has led to the closure of independent media outlets, anti-war protesters are being persecuted, and peace activists are being jailed, stripped of their citizenship, and forced to flee the country.
21,000 allegations of war crimes are currently being investigated as deliberate attacks on civilians and vital infrastructure persist. The discovery of mass graves, use of illegal weaponry, and human rights issues regarding prisoners of war on both sides are of grave concern.
Aside from the horrors of war, the Russia – Ukraine conflict is having severe global ramifications. Harsh western sanctions have transformed the Russian and the global economy. Bans on Russian gas and oil imports have dramatically forced up the cost of energy around the world.
Coupled with issues surrounding inflation, grain imports from Ukraine, and the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic, countries are being crippled under a global food and cost of living crisis.
WHY BETTER WORLD INFO?
Better World Info provides a unique peace perspective on current developments in the region. At over 7,500 links, and growing daily, they feature the conflict from a Western/Nato perspective, Russian perspective, and independent viewpoints. Under essential viewing learn all about the role the US and Nato have played in escalating military action.
There is an inspiring section devoted to voices for peace and reason, alternative solutions, peace negotiations, and in-depth geopolitical and military analysis. They handpick information from only the most reliable and trustworthy sources, ensuring that the full picture is provided on a complex situation engrained in more than a century of history.
This remarkable resource on the Ukraine conflict is the only place you can find a complete guide to historic and current events, including background analysis of NATO, Russia, and Ukraine. You will find extensive information on weapons imports from the West, which countries are supporting the Ukraine war effort, and which ones are looking to profit from it. There is also a comprehensive toolbox covering the build-up to current events with a special focus on the Donbas region.
A comprehensive guide to the related Russia – U.S. Cold War escalation provides further insight into the evolution of current events, and U.S. involvement. You will also find access to top experts, politicians, and insiders via their social media category, as well as the campaigns demanding military de-escalation and their demonstrations.
To help stop the spread of misinformation, propaganda, and censorship, Better World Info recommends independent real news sources where you can find the latest in unbiased, investigative media.
For those who want to add an extra layer to their understanding, you can find further reading into the workings of Vladimir Putin, couragous conscientious objectors, the Ukraine Civil War and Crimea crisis of 2014, the influence of the oligarchs, and Ukrainian fascists and nationalists.
Finally, this excellent guide is also available in German at Bessere Welt Info. For a German language version of the Ukraine Conflict resource, you can check out the equally informative categories Russische Invasion and Ukraine.
AFTERTHOUGHTS
Better World Info aims to inform citizens and amplify peace voices during this conflict. With their incredible resource they fight the spread of disinformation, ignorance, and propaganda. It is an excellent tool for peace campaigns such as Fridays for Future and their #StandWithUkraine protests.
Unions, mindful politicians, citizens, and voters can all use this educational tool to inform themselves and spread the demand for de-escalation and diplomacy. Unfortunately, peace work remains massively underfunded, whilst military budgets bloat and line the pockets of multi-millionaire war profiteers.
This central information platform is an essential tool for peace activists, and as a knowledge hub for global issues in general.
Better World Info invites you to be part of a peace first approach, where open dialogue is given a chance, where enemies are not created to justify the build-up and use of weapons, and where armament companies do not profit from conflicts and the destruction of lives and entire countries.
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Article by Rachael Mellor, July 2022
Unique resource on the Russia – Ukraine Conflict 2022 by Rachael Mellor is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
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Image: ‘We Stand with Ukraine 2022 Helsinki – Finland' by Rajatonvimma is published by Flickr under CC BY 2.0 license
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