FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
WASHINGTON—Freedom House president Michael J. Abramowitz issued the following statement regarding the Russian regime’s escalation of violence in its invasion of Ukraine:
“Vladimir Putin’s unprovoked attack on Ukraine and the Russian military’s reported shelling of civilian targets—including neighborhoods, schools, and hospitals—is creating a humanitarian crisis that the whole world must respond to. The Putin regime’s blatant disregard for the safety of innocent Ukrainians who wish to live in peace and freedom is a clear indication of the threat it poses to the rest of humanity. It is worth noting that this invasion has already driven close to a million people to flee Ukraine after only a week. When authoritarians are left unchecked, they wreak havoc on the lives of ordinary people, undermine democracies and the observance of fundamental human rights, and generally make the world a more dangerous place. We must never forget that the present crisis was created by Vladimir Putin and enabled by his allies in the Russian political elite, security
services, and oligarchic class.
“The entire world is appalled by Putin's obvious contempt for human life and for the basic norms of international behavior that make modern civilization possible, as reflected in the UN General Assembly's overwhelming condemnation of Russian aggression and the International Criminal Court’s investigation of potential war crimes by Moscow. Putin needs to know that the world is watching, and that it will not tolerate his unprovoked aggression and flouting of international law. We stand with the Ukrainian people, whose dauntless courage inspires everyone seeking peace and freedom in their own countries.”
For Freedom House analysis on threats to democracy worldwide, see Freedom in the World 2022: The Global Expansion of Authoritarian Rule.
Russia is rated Not Free in Freedom in the World 2022, Not Free in Freedom on the Net 2021, and as a Consolidated Authoritarian Regime in Nations in Transit 2021.
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