. DISARMAMENT & SECURITY.
An article received at CPNN from Olga Karatch* published on the no-to-nato riseup list.
Dear friends,
Yesterday, an important update came from the European Bureau for Conscientious Objection. They shared a striking article from Belgian national radio RTBF:
Guerre en Ukraine: près de 50.000 personnes arrêtées pour avoir tenté de fuir le pays depuis 2022
This means that 50,000 Ukrainian men have been arrested for trying to flee the country — in other words, 50,000 Ukrainian deserters.
When we add the 49,000 documented deserters from the Russian army (as reported earlier), we arrive at a staggering total: 100,000 named and documented individuals who have refused to fight in this war from both sides (+including Belarusian men).
Frame from video of soldiers who refused to fight for Russia – See article from 2023 here.
As someone who has spent years building databases of victims of political repression, I can tell you: compiling verified lists of names is no easy task. The fact that 100,000 names are now on record means the real number is much higher — possibly five, eight, or even ten times more.
That would mean up to a million Belarusian, Russian, and Ukrainian men who are actively trying to avoid participating in war, who do not want to take up arms, who are looking for a different path. That is, quite literally, a massive army for peace — and yet, no one is paying attention.
(Continued in the right column)
“Put down the gun and take up the pen”, What are some other examples?
(Continued from the left column)
Worse: many of these men are being systematically criminalized. Across the region — including in EU countries like Lithuania — conscientious objectors and deserters are often labeled as “national security threats” and sent back to the countries they fled. Even men who have refused to commit war crimes and openly rejected violence are treated as criminals.
This is not just a tragedy. It is Orwellian. Everything is reversed.
Those who choose peace are punished — those who choose violence are armed.
We are talking about an enormous, invisible force of men across three countries who are resisting this war — not by force, but through refusal. And yet they are completely ignored.
There is hope in these numbers. But it will mean nothing unless we recognize, protect, and support this invisible army of conscience.
Our coalition and our work together — small but dedicated — is doing what we can. But we are few, compared to the scale of this humanitarian and moral crisis.
We need recognition. We need protection. And above all, we need to make these people visible again.
Warmly and with determination,
Olga
– – – – – –
* Olga Karatch is one of the most active Belarusian dissidents and is the founder and director of the civil rights movement “Nash Dom”, or “ Our House.
– – – – – –
If you wish to make a comment on this article, you may write to coordinator@cpnn-world.org with the title “Comment on (name of article)” and we will put your comment on line. Because of the flood of spam, we have discontinued the direct application of comments.