We would like to draw your attention and request support for Ukrainians suffering from Russian aggression in their homeland. As a Ukrainian-Australian, I'm calling on the Australian government to commit to a special intake of refugees on top of our existing humanitarian allocation. 

We need a clear number of refugee places being allotted to Ukrainians. I urge the government to prioritise family reunification when processing visas from Ukrainian nationals.

This vile attack on our country by the Russian Federation has acquired the most brazen and cruel form.

The country, which is in the centre of Europe, with no anti-missile defence, no protection and equipped shelters, is today subjected to massive ballistic missile attacks and air force bombing. Tanks are shooting at buildings. There are missile attacks on hospitals, schools, kindergartens.

This causes mortal danger to people who only yesterday were living a relatively controlled life. Today, many people are sitting in underground shelters with the internet offline due to the collapsed power grid infrastructure and avoiding airborne threats. I am sure that every Ukrainian, like every normal person in the world, experiences a feeling of immeasurable indignation and shame for those who can let this happen in 2022 in the centre of the European continent.

It is especially painful for us, whose relatives are now under shelling by the occupiers and do not even have the opportunity to move, because there are not even warning sirens, as in Israel.

We all experience pain and, worst of all, a sense of hopelessness because we cannot influence this situation in any way. Many people are now applying for and receiving tourist visas for their parents. We are extremely grateful to the Australian government for the unprecedentedly fast processing times for these visas. However, the airports are destroyed, the airspace is closed. As far as I can see, the tourist visas that people are getting now give people hope, but in reality, they force them to move all over the country to the western borders, where they can get to the working airports of Poland and other countries.

The tourist visa only delays the meeting with the inevitable ruined future. Thus, people, even reunited for a while with their relatives, will remain full of fear of having to return to the land occupied by the enemy. Moreover, like it is already happening in Ukraine with Donetsk and Lugansk occupied in 2014, these zones are under the sanctions of the whole world and normal life is impossible there.

Therefore, we are requesting granting humanitarian visas to Ukrainians that will provide them with hope for the future, give them the opportunity to change their lives and feel safe, work, apply their skills for the benefit of themselves and community. The Ukrainian community is seeking support from the Australian government for the peaceful population of Ukraine.