Kasparov

11.23.2022

You can read the original statement at the Free Russia Forum.

“Putin’s war against Ukraine has entered a new phase. Unable to defeat the Ukrainians on the battlefield, Putin has decided to starve Ukraine out by launching massive strikes against its civilian infrastructure. His goal is obvious—to leave Ukrainians without light and heat in anticipation of the onset of the winter cold, to demoralize them, to sow despondency and fear. He will not achieve his goal; he will not be able to break the people who have been resisting armed aggression for several months now, fighting for their freedom. However, this very tactic of destroying civilian infrastructure poses a threat to the life and health of millions of people, including women, children, and the elderly, who may be left without heat and light for the entire winter. In light of this danger, we can say that Putin’s strikes amount to acts of genocide against the Ukrainian people, aimed at inflicting maximum damage on the civilian population of Ukraine.

Given these conditions, it is necessary to stop diplomatic maneuvers aimed at preventing a possible escalation of the conflict. Escalation is already occurring constantly, both in the degree of confrontation and as new participants get involved in the conflict. From conventional combat, Putin moved on to threats to use nuclear weapons or to detonate a “dirty bomb.” From military actions on the front line he moved on to the bombing of civilian infrastructure. From strikes on the territory of Ukraine he moved on to strikes on the territory of NATO (if we admit the fact that the missile that hit the territory of Poland was Russian). If Putin is not stopped now, sooner or later this war will lead to a direct clash between Putin’s Russian Federation and NATO. Then it will be too late to talk about escalation.

It is necessary now to stop Putin in his cause of destroying the civilian infrastructure of Ukraine. And there is only one way to do this—the military one. Ukraine should receive the weapons that will allow it to effectively respond to rocket attacks on its territory, by hitting those military bases from which rocket attacks on Ukraine are conducted, wherever these bases are located.

The aggressor will not rest until he meets a force equal to or greater than his own. The perpetrator will not leave his victim alone until he receives a forceful rebuff. The time for talking and appeasing dictators is over. The time has come for decisive action against the aggressor. Ukraine should urgently get the help it needs to stop the genocide of its people”