Appeal of the Ukrainian Association of Publishers to the International Association of Publishers

To the Secretary General
International Publishers Association
José Borghino,
National Publishers’ Associations
Dear Mr. Secretary General, dear colleagues!

The Ukrainian Association of Publishers and Booksellers, a member of the International Association of Publishers, on this tragic day for Ukraine and human civilization expresses hope for the solidarity of the world publishing community with the people of our country.

Today at 4 o’clock in the morning the President of the Russian Federation, violating all the laws of humanity, morality and civilization, launched a war against a peaceful, independent Ukraine, dropping bombs and missiles on peaceful cities and villages.

Now the blood of the civilianі is being shed on the territory of Ukraine along the entire length of its borders and the country’s life support facilities & critical infrastructure has been destroyed.

We believe that such a leader, who took such a cannibalistic step, should receive a tough response from all people, the international community, all those who understand that this is not a war against Ukraine, but against the moral, democratic values of the civilized world.

We ask the members of our international association – professionals in publishing – to find ways and tools to condemn Russia’s aggression against Ukraine and support Ukraininan people in this difficult time in the fight against the World aggressor.

Ukrainians defend themselves. The Ukrainian army is strong and potent. But the war is not only about Ukraine. It is about Europe, the world and our common future. Ukrainians need the global community to step in and take direct actions to end the war now.
Sanctions against Russia are needed now.

We are calling for the global society to fight against Putin’s crimes in Ukraine:

1. International courts to condemn Putin and adopt procedures to sentence Putin for war crimes against Ukraine.
2. Urgent military support, including air dome system and extensive support with defense equipment.
3. Disclose to Russian people bank data and intelligence about political and business elites.
4. Block SWIFT.
5. Block airlines, sea cargo and passenger companies, block access to ports for Russian companies.
6. Freeze sales of international companies in Russia.
7. Social networks to ban communication of the Russian government.
8. Close access to the key infrastructure/cloud providers for to block usage of technological stacks and data – Microsoft, Apple, AWS, Google and other critical vendors for the business.
9. Impose personal sanctions on Russian politicians and oligarchs, former European and US politicians who openly supports Putin in the media. Freeze foreign money accounts of Russia.
10. S&P and other agencies to reduce the rankings of Russia and Russian business to the level of junk.
11. Impose 10Eur/barrel sanction on Russian oil. Diversify away from Russian gas.
12. Increase import tariffs on agrifood commodities from Russia and block trade of agricultural production inputs with Russia.
This is the list of sanctions to impose now. They will help to end the war, or at least to deescalate the situation. We are calling the global community to fight against the war. We urge you for solidarity!

What you, personally, can do:

1. Demand your government to impose these sanctions immediately.
2. Distribute this or other relevant information about Putin’s crimes. Don’t be silent.
3. Do not distribute any information coming from Russian governmental, Russian-sponsored or Russia-affiliated sources. It’s disinformation.
4. Donate money to Ukrainian volunteer funds. For example, ones that help wounded soldiers.
5. Take action against this war. Wherever you can.