REPORT
When Ukrainians appeal to their relatives in Russia and Belarus
Audio 01:18
A man looks by the Dnipro-Trouskavets train, at Lviv station, Sunday February 27, 2022. AP - Bernat Armangue
Text by: RFI Follow
2 mins
In Ukraine, civil society is mobilizing to try to stop the war and also to persuade Belarus not to take part.
Actors, singers, musicians, prominent personalities or ordinary citizens with ties to Russia or Belarus, address their relatives on the other side of the border.
Report from Dnipro, the large industrial city with a Russian-speaking majority in eastern Ukraine.
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From our special correspondents in Dnipro
,
Anastasia Becchio
and
Boris Vichith
►Follow our live on the War in Ukraine
On Telegram, a Dnipro family appeals to their high-ranking Belarusian cousin.
“
Your mother lives here.
How can you look us in the eye?
Don't let this bloodbath happen!
You can have an influence, it is in your power.
Maybe you're not told or you pretend not to know, but it's scary what's going on here.
We are in hell.
»
For Oleg, who comes to bring food for the volunteer battalions, talking to his family in Russia is a waste of time.
“
My wife called our acquaintances in Russia, but there is such brainwashing that it is better to put a line under our relations.
They say their guys are protecting us from the United States.
It's just brainwashing!
“, he believes.
Marina, who has a sister in Russia, feels an inflection on the contrary.
“
They are in shock at what is happening, because their media is saying horrible things, that we are the aggressors, that we are attacking them
, she assures.
But she tells me that she has changed her point of view and that she understands that it is Russia who is waging war on us.
»
Faced with Russian silence, the Ukrainian authorities have also created
a website
and an emergency call line for the mothers and relatives of Russian soldiers.
►Also read: War in Ukraine: the population of Dnipro mobilized to defend their country
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