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KUALA LUMPUR – Pakatan Harapan (PH) Youth is in support of the government’s move to immediately repatriate Malaysians in Ukraine and called for Putrajaya to seriously consider options and actions to ensure the safety of citizens in Russia.
The youth group also condemned the invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation, saying it is “nothing less than a severe threat to global security”.
“During this time of a global healthcare and economic crisis brought on by a once in a century pandemic, when all humans should be more cooperative and united than ever before; it is atrocious that any acts of destruction and invasive violence be carried out by a global power against another nation and its people for imperialistic means,” it said in a statement today.
It also called for the Malaysian government to lend a hand in solidarity to the international community’s efforts to ensure the safety of the civilian population in Ukraine.
“We appeal to all regional and international partners and countries to support every possible diplomatic effort for peace and disarmament, guaranteeing the respect for humanitarian law, protecting refugees in border areas and safeguarding civilians, such as students and children.
“President Putin and the Russian political and military leadership will have to answer to the international community for the violation of international law and any acts of violence undertaken against Ukrainian citizens,” the group said.
It also warned against any escalation of the current conflict by Russia and/or other nations, adding that the only humane and humanitarian path forward is for Russia to de-escalate the attacks.
“Now is not the time for war as it is never the time for war.”
Meanwhile, yesterday Russian missiles and shelling rained down on Ukrainian cities, forcing civilians to seek shelter on metro systems, with others displaced by deadly airstrikes.
Across Ukraine, at least 68 people were killed, including both soldiers and civilians, according to an AFP tally from Ukrainian official sources.
Moscow’s forces seized a key strategic air base near Kyiv as well as the scene of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, a vast area still heavily contaminated with radioactive material.
Witnesses said that Russian paratroopers wrested control of the Gostomel airfield after swooping in with helicopters and jets from the direction of Belarus.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said there was now a “new iron curtain” between Russia and the rest of the world, like in the Cold War.
US President Joe Biden announced export controls against Russia to cut off more than half of the country’s high-tech imports, alongside sanctions on Russian elites he called “corrupt billionaires”, and banks.
He earlier said the G7 group of wealthy nations had agreed to impose “devastating” economic sanctions.
Weeks of diplomacy failed to deter Russian President Vladimir Putin, who massed over 150,000 troops on Ukraine’s borders in what the West said was Europe’s biggest military build-up since World War II. – The Vibes, February 25, 2022