By Mike Schubert
It has been two and a half years since we honoured Alexei Navalny with the M100 Media Award for his unwavering commitment to democracy and transparency. His political companion and friend Leonid Volkov accepted the award on his behalf in Potsdam, as he was already in prison for his fight against Russia’s unjust regime. The news of his death reached us last week. We are deeply shocked.
And we are shocked that two years after the Russian army invaded Ukraine on 24 February 2022, the war is still going on. Every day we receive new reports of people who have fallen victim to this war. Thousands have already lost their lives, millions have been forced to flee and are now seeking protection and a new home in countries like Germany. These figures are not just statistics; they represent individual fates, shattered dreams and the immense suffering of families torn apart.
The latest news from Russia and Ukraine is a painful reminder of what it means when governments put power before principle, when people’s deaths serve strategic ends. In these times of injustice and aggression, it is our duty not only to mourn, but to act. As cities and communities, we must show the refugees from Ukraine that they are welcome here. It is about building bridges and offering not just shelter but hope.
Mike Schubert is Lord Mayor of the state capital Potsdam and Chairman of the M100 Advisory Board
More articles:
Vitali and Wladimir Klitschko: Europe’s future will be decided in Ukraine
Prof. Dr Wolfgang Ischinger: A European future in peace is at stake
Anna Romandash: The West is at peace because the Ukrainians are fighting
Olga Konsevych: It seems that the world and Ukrainians are teetering on the brink of chaos
Olesia Tytarenko: Ukraine will never become part of Russia
Kai Diekmann: A genocide of the population is taking place in Ukraine
Olga Rudenko: It’s getting harder to hope
Baroness Kennedy of the Shaws: This war had implications for us all
Anastasiia Ivantsova: Russian propaganda is a crucial human rights violation
Olena Kuk: War is one of the most horrible things that you can possibly adapt to
