03/06/2022, 22:10

Moving around and reneaming the paragraphs for clarity.


New petition description:

Words of support will not end this war, a military help of the West is still unlikely and the current sanctions against Russia are not sufficient. For if they were sufficient, the war would be over.

The world can no longer wait for Russia to slowly bleed out financially. The longer this conflict continues, the greater will be the number of causalities, cultural and material damage, and at the end of the day even our expense for helping Ukraine and its citizens. Severe enough sanctions will affect us, but even if we had to organize public fund-raisers to support our fellow citizens, it is incomparable to the suffering of the Ukrainian people, costs of a prolonged conflict and implications to our own security in case of success of the Russian aggression.

The aim of this initiative is uniting civil society in support of sanctions and measures against the Russian aggression and ending this war as quickly as possible. Currently we strive for the following:

• The most severe sanctions possible against Russian oligarchs, including a complete disconnect from SWIFT. The main reason for keeping at least some of the banks in SWIFT is trading with Russian gas and oil, which are two of the most important sources of income for Russian oligarchs, whom these sanctions must target in the first place. Sanctions against ordinary citizens are not effective enough, because in the authoritarian Russia perhaps not even famine or public rioting could make Putin back away, but a revolt of oligarchs would do it for sure.
• Equivalent sanctions against Belarusian dictator Lukashenko, whose regime takes part in this invasion alongside Russia. Less allies Putin has, the better. Sanctions again need to target Lukashenko himself and the people around him for the same reasons as in the case of Russia.
• Pressure on China to abandon support of Russia, even by the means of sanctions. Even if we completely isolate Russia, trade with China could keep the Russian government afloat. Other countries have to work towards discouraging China from supporting Putin’s regime, even if that means sanctions against China.

The goal is not to forever cut the trade ties with either of these countries, but to end this war as soon as possible, so that the world can get back to normal. If Putin loses the support of China, Belarus and the Russian oligarchs, the war will be over.

*** HowWhat do we planneed you to achievedo right now ***

1. Sign this ***petition.
2. Share this petition. Short link: openpetition.eu/!bankruptputin
3. Read information sent to your e-mail address you used for signing.

**** What is the long-term plan ****

• Phase 1: approaching as many people around us as we can to gain the necessary support for other phases. – This goes on right now via this petition.
• Phase 2: connecting with other such initiatives, gaining support of citizens’ associations and public figures. It is quite possible that during this phase we will integrate with another initiative. They already exist but it seems that none of them at this point deal with the question of China for example. Nevertheless, it is more important to work together to achieve at least some of our goals, instead of spreading ourselves thin and trying to achieve everything at once. Even a single sanction could decide if and when Putin’s regime goes bankrupt.
• Phase 3: putting pressure on political representatives to put these measures into practice. At the end of the day it will be up to politicians to get things done. As of yet, they can hide behind the notion that the public does not wish for more severe sanctions. We must persuade them otherwise.
• In all three phases we will be seeking supporters in other countries. If we are successful, the resulting movement could push politicians around the world to be more decisive when it comes to Russia. But every such movement begins with the first few individuals.**** What do we need you to do right now ****Sign this petition.
Share this petition. Short link: openpetition.eu/!bankruptputinRead information sent to your e-mail address you used for signing.

***** In what other ways could you help *****

• Help with the campaign: if you have experience with such things, do not hesitate to contact the author of this petition – there is a button “Question to the initiator” below the petition.
• Help with translation and organization in other countries: if you are not from the Czech Republic or even if you just speak a different language than Czech and want to help, please let us know as well. You may translate the petition using the button “New language version” under the petition.
• Be active: rouse the people around you, attend protests, write to politicians. #bankruptPutin already floats around on social media.
• Help wherever you can: every kind of help to Ukraine and its citizens could mean the difference between victory and defeat, between hope and suffering. We did not cause this crisis, but we can help solving it.