Sergiy Stakhovsky could have had it all. A fine tennis player (he once beat Federer at Wimbledon) a good income, wife, kids and lots of international connections. But Stakhovsky is Ukrainian. So when Mad Vlad Putin sent his forces smashing into Ukraine (note his forces- little Vlad didn’t go himself, it’s too dangerous) Stakhovsky had a choice. Continue with his comfortable lifestyle or go back to fight. Carefully sending his family to safety, he then went back to Ukraine, where he now carries a gun in the front line. That, gentle readers, is what we call courage. Principle. And moral imagination. All the qualities lacking in the Russian top echelons, who watch as their leader leads their great country to destruction. You can read about Sergiy Stakhovsky in our link to a piece from the Mail [1] But a lot of outlets are carrying his story.
But, you say, the media in the free world can thunder all they like, but it won’t make a blind bit of difference in Russia. Ol’Pooters has an iron grip on the media and all independent outlets have been closed down, the staff murdered or sent to slave labour camps. True, but there are still ways that ordinary Russians can find out the truth about what is being done in their name.
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty not only carries a wealth of stories on Russia and other countries but also has a full guide to how you can bypass blocking [2] By careful use of VPNs and other devices, you can still get round Putin’s secret police and have the chance to make your own mind up about things.
BBC World Service Throughout the dark days of the Second World War people in occupied lands depended on the clear and objective voice of the BBC to sustain their belief in freedom. Nothing has changed. Now the BBC is to get more money, as this article from the Guardian shows. Again there is a handy guide to VPN ways of dodging the censors and getting to the truth.
Ukraine is fighting for all the values we believe in. Freedom of information and judgement. Reason. Learning. Honesty. Please support them in any way you can.
[2] https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-censorship-vpn-reporting/31737775.html
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