I am Alex Biryukov, a professor of international law at the Kyiv National University, Ukraine. Together with my daughter Margarita, who is an expert in humanitarian landmine policy, we will be speaking to the Columbia Basin Badger Club in a virtual forum from our apartment in Kyiv on September 12 at noon.
The forum once again gives me the opportunity as Ukrainians to express our lasting gratitude to the Americans, who have remained the greatest supporters of this country’s struggle for democratic values and our survival as a nation since the beginning of this war.
I believe that Ukraine would not exist without your support.
Last April I spoke to the Badger Club at the invitation of C. Mark Smith, chairman of the club’s program committee, whom I met 28 years ago in Birmingham, Alabama. Mark was responsible for Birmingham’s sister city relationship with Krasnodon in Luhansk Province, now temporarily occupied by Russia.
We are giving you an update on what has happened since last year in this war that has been going on for 2 1/2 years now. Our family has remained in Kiev since that first moment of the Russian military invasion.
There is still a curfew in Ukraine and every day and night air raid sirens announce incoming Russian missile and drone attacks. We try to live, work and help our armed forces stop this invasion.
Margarita will talk about her work for an international organization that removes landmines and provides humanitarian aid to our civilian population. We will be happy to try to answer your questions.
The Russian aggression is not only a war against the largest independent state in Europe, but also shows all the hallmarks of state terror under the leadership of the Russian leadership.
They have destroyed half of all energy supplies in Ukraine, more than 500 churches, hundreds of schools, universities and medical facilities. They continue day and night.
We are grateful to America and the European Union for our fight against this violation of the international legal order.
You can register for this event, which will include a Q&A session, at columbiabasinbadgers.com to receive confirmation and links to join the Zoom forum and a half-hour open-mic “Table Talk” session afterward.
For non-members the cost is $5, while club members can join for free.
Alex Biryukov teaches private international law at the Institute of International Relations of the National University of Kyiv. Margarita Biryukova works in the mine action sector in Ukraine and has worked for the International Criminal Court, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and the National Democratic Institute.
