As Ukraine celebrates its Independence Day on Saturday, August 24, 32 years after the country broke away from the Soviet Union, we stand at a crucial turning point in the struggle for freedom and justice, not only for our nation but for Europe and the entire world.
Svitlana Romanko is the founder and CEO of Razom We Stand.
For over a decade, Ukraine has endured the storms of a provoked and brutal invasion by Russia. Our cities have been reduced to rubble, our civilians terrorized, and our sovereignty relentlessly attacked. But the fight for Ukraine’s independence is not just a national struggle – it is a call for global solidarity and action.
Last month, a new series of Russian missile attacks targeted Ukraine, including an attack on the Ohmatdyt Children’s Hospital, the country’s largest pediatric center. The devastating scenes of young children receiving intravenous treatment outside while the hospital was evacuated should serve as a stark reminder to the world.
This attack alone left at least 36 people dead and over 140 injured. The cost of this atrocity was estimated at $200-250 million, roughly equivalent to what Russia earns from its crude oil exports in a single day.
Russia’s unprecedented revenues from the oil and gas business fuel violence and aggression like this. Every penny spent on Russian fossil fuels funds the bombs, bullets and brutality that innocent Ukrainians endure every day. Putin is reinforcing his aggressive and expansionist agenda by channeling oil revenues into his war chest.
As Ukrainians confront this terror with sadness and grim determination, we call on the world to act decisively: Ban Russian fossil fuels immediately.
The international community must confront the root of this crisis – our collective dependence on the oil that funds Putin’s regime and its terror campaigns. Emboldened by impunity and fueled by the continued influx of Western money despite sanctions, Putin’s terror campaign against Ukraine and the West continues to escalate.
Since Russia’s large-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Kremlin has earned over €700 billion in revenues from the sale of crude oil, pipeline gas and LNG. Despite sanctions imposed by the EU, G7 and UK, Russia is using loopholes to fill its war chest.
Russia receives over 270 million euros a day from crude oil exports alone and around 600 million euros from all fossil fuels combined. These revenues cover half of the Russian state budget, which this year includes a record allocation for the military, the likes of which has not been seen since the Soviet era.
Russia’s major liquefied natural gas (LNG) projects, often referred to as “carbon bombs,” have significantly exacerbated the environmental damage associated with climate change and cost the EU over €650 billion since 1980.
Despite these challenges, there is hope. The war in Ukraine has boosted global efforts to achieve energy independence and sustainability. Europe ended last winter with record stocks of fossil gas in storage, a testament to the growing success of cheaper renewable energy production.
Renewable energy sources have proven to be more cost-effective and reliable than fossil fuels. They offer a solution to many of the problems associated with fossil fuels, such as supporting authoritarian regimes, exacerbating desertification and famine, harming health, and promoting inflation. The progress made by Ukraine and other countries in implementing robust renewable energy solutions is impressive and should serve as a model for others.
Eliminating Russian fossil fuels from the global energy landscape is critical not only to undermine Putin’s military actions, but also to improve energy security and achieve the decarbonization necessary to curb climate change.
The war against Ukraine is not yet over, and neither can international politics. To financially end and disarm Russia’s war against Ukraine, the world must first cut off the cash cow of Russian fossil fuels.
As we reflect on our country’s resilience and the immense price we have paid for our freedom this Independence Day, we call on the international community to stand with Ukraine. The ongoing fight for our independence is not just our fight – it is a global fight for the principles of sovereignty, democracy and human rights. We call on the world to make the difficult but necessary choices.
Phasing out Russian fossil fuels is a challenge, but the cost of inaction is far higher, and success is within sight. The world must act now, or more Ukrainians will lose their lives and principles of international law and human rights will be undermined.
May this be the day when the world decides to decisively confront tyranny, cut off the financial lifeline of the Russian war machine, and show that the fight for freedom is indeed a global responsibility.
