We, citizens of the Russian Federation, are appealing to citizens of Europe and the United States: help us fight Vladimir Putin. Help lift sanctions on Russia that hurt ordinary Russians but do nothing to harm oligarchs and the ruling class.

After Putin’s invasion of Ukraine on the 24th of February, 2022, the United States of America and EU member states have introduced sanctions not only against bureaucrats, oligarchs, or the Russian military-industrial complex, but also against ordinary Russian citizens.

These sanctions are an enormous gift to Vladimir Putin

We were cut off from international payments, our European visas were cut off, our credit cards were blocked, we were denied access to international services.

You may be wondering how come after a year of sanctions Putin has not run out of money, and the rouble has not become worthless. This is happening because European and American politicians have done everything in their power to help Putin stop capital flight from Russia and prevent ordinary Russians from spending money on anything other than supporting the rouble and Putin’s war effort.

Almost a million people have left Russia since February 2022, in spite of the international sanctions, the blocking of international flights and the closing of land borders on Europe’s side. 

Such a massed anti-war movement is unprecedented in the modern history. A million people did not just post on social networks threatening to leave. They turned their life entirely around, and, in spite of the sanctions, in spite of Europe closing its borders to them, departed from Russia as a protest against the war.

Russians are leaving because they do not want to pay for bloodshed with their tax money. Russian men of enlistment age are leaving to avoid being mobilized and participating in the murder of Ukrainians.

Russians don't support the war

Meanwhile, Western politicians are doing their best to lock us in with Vladimir Putin. We are prevented from sending money abroad and cryptocurrency exchanges are forced to close accounts belonging to Russian citizens or even to residents of Russia. These measures amount to a concerted effort to ensure that taking an anti-war stance is as hard as possible, and to prevent our money from leaving Putin’s economy, forcing us to support Putin’s war.

In the year 2022, over 20,000 Russian citizens have been arrested for their anti-war position. Every day, more and more people face criminal charges and are forced to choose between exile and prison.

In spite of Western sanctions, Russians continue sending vast sums of money to assist Ukrainian refugees as well as relatives in Ukraine (over one-third of Russian residents have relatives in Ukraine). The Prosecutor General's Office of the Russian Federation equates such assistance with treason, punishable with up to 20 years in Russian prison.

Many European Union member states refuse to issue visas to Russian citizens. Border states have closed their borders - effectively helping Putin’s military capture men who are trying to flee mobilization.

These sanctions are a form of support for Vladimir Putin

The sanctions have been created based on the best intentions, a desire to support Ukraine in its defensive effort. But in practice the Western sanctions are a form of support for Vladimir Putin’s criminal regime. They make it easier for him to keep people trapped in Russia and fill his army with draftees. Those who try to leave the country to avoid killing Ukrainians, are refused passage by bordering European states and handed almost directly to the recruitment officers.

These measures in no way bring about the end of the bloodshed in Ukraine, nor do they harm those who are actually responsible for organizing and promoting it. Ordinary Russians are held up at the border, and Putin’s bureaucrats, oligarchs, propagandists and family members of war criminals are free to travel, open bank accounts, hide their offspring from mobilization abroad. They have stolen enough money from Russia that they can easily bypass any prohibitions and successfully lobby politicians to defend their interests.

These sanctions do Putin’s work for him

Restrictions on the use of SWIFT, bans on the use of Western credit cards and cryptocurrency exchanges do Putin’s work for him. He no longer needs to struggle against desertion and capital flight.

We ask all those who are against this war to aid russian civil society in abolishing sanctions that help Putin mobilize the economy and the nation for war: bans on the issue of visas and travel by Russian citizens, restrictions on international bank platforms working with Russian credit card issuers and the opening of foreign bank accounts, cryptocurrency exchanges, and other services.

We believe West public pressure still influences political decisions. Help the Russian anti-war movement reach Western politicians and decision makers. Help Russians make the right choice and refuse to support the criminal war of aggression. Help us end the sanctions that only serve Putin’s interests. Sign this petition. This war must end.

Help us #stopthewar

Russian Civil Society