Steve Behar 🇺🇸 🇺🇦 🟦

*Statement by the Council of the Free Russia Forum on Events in the Kursk region* Observing the events that have unfolded in recent days in the Kursk region, we feel it necessary to emphasize the following: As we have repeatedly stated, the war unleashed by Putin against Ukraine is criminal. Now this war is returning to Russia, which is quite natural. As the saying goes, “he who sows the wind will reap the storm." All the victims and destruction caused by this war, including on the territory of the Russian Federation, are a direct consequence of Putin's criminal policy. For Ukraine, this war is a defensive and just war. Ukrainians are fighting for their freedom and independence, for the right to exist as a state and a nation. They have the right to defend themselves as they see fit, while of course observing the laws and customs of war. The transfer of hostilities to the territory of the aggressor is their legal right. We welcome the breakthrough by the Ukrainian armed forces in the Kursk region, which demonstrates to us that the course of the war is by no means a foregone conclusion. The local successes of Putin's invaders in Ukraine turned out to be only an isolated episode. Now the initiative has passed to the Ukrainians, which gives us hope that a Ukrainian victory in this war is not only possible, but quite probable. Especially impressive is the fact that the current success of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) has been achieved with very limited supplies of weapons from Western countries and with an acute shortage of manpower. The breakthrough of the AFU into the Kursk region once again convinces us that fighting for a righteous cause is the strongest of motivations, and can have a greater impact on the course of military operations than weapons and supply of soldiers. Recent events in the Kursk region offer the best response to skeptics who talk about the need for negotiations and the impossibility of reaching the 1991 borders. The course of the war is unpredictable, and its end result may turn out to be quite different from what was imagined. Unfortunately, no combat operation is without casualties. We express our condolences to the families and loved ones of the civilians who were killed as a result of the fighting in Kursk region. At the same time, we draw their attention to the fact that the real culprit behind the deaths of these people (as well as all victims of the war) is the Russian dictator who unleashed this war and continues to wage it to this day—Vladimir Putin. We also recall that we have consistently supported Ukraine in this war since its beginning. We see the AFU as our natural allies in the fight against Putin's tyranny. This is our fundamental difference from other sections of the exiled Russian diaspora, which have so far taken an insufficiently clear position on this war. We call on them to come to their senses and begin to provide effective support to those who are now confronting Putin's aggression on the battlefield: the Ukrainian armed forces and Russian volunteers. Our slogan—"Victory to Ukraine, freedom to Russia!"– takes on new meaning when we see the AFU marching through Russian territory, effectively liberating it from Putinism. Whatever the final outcome of this operation, one thing has become clear: Putin's regime is not as strong as it seems. It can be crushed by the force of arms both in Ukraine and in Russia itself. The Council of the Free Russia Forum August 09, 2024 @forumfreerussia