Ukrainians in South Africa urge government to speak truthfully about Russia’s war

The Ukrainian Association of South Africa (UAZA) has called on South Africa’s government, presidential office, and media to stop using language that downplays Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. 

The appeal comes after a recent statement from the presidential office that used terms that according to the UAZA, “misrepresents the reality of the war and undermines accountability for aggression and human rights violations.”

It also stated that “there is no “Russia–Ukraine Conflict,” it is “Russia’s aggression against Ukraine.”

The organization reminded that on March 2, 2022, the United Nations General Assembly overwhelmingly condemned Russia’s invasion in its resolution explicitly titled, Aggression against Ukraine.

Referring to the invasion as a “conflict,” the UAZA said, “obscures responsibility and creates a false equivalence between the aggressor and the victim.”

The organization also criticized the phrase “war-torn Donbas [in the two easternmost regions Luhansk and Donets], Ukraine,” stressing that it ignores the fact that parts of Donetsk and Luhansk regions remain under illegal Russian occupation. 

Describing these territories merely as “war-torn,” UAZA said, “conceals the cause of destruction,

ongoing military occupation by Russia and attacks on Ukrainian civilians.”

In its statement, UAZA also raised concerns about Russia’s recruitment of foreign mercenaries, including citizens of African countries, noting that the number of non-Russian foreign fighters captured by Ukrainian forces has significantly increased.

The Ukrainian community in South Africa emphasized the need for clear and principled language from the country’s government.

The Ukrainian community urged South Africa’s leadership to speak with moral clarity and use the country’s influence in the G20 and BRICS to demand accountability from Russia, not parity between aggressor and victim. 

The organization also called on the government to demand the immediate release of children forcibly deported by Russia and to condemn their abduction, urging South Africa not to remain neutral on Russia’s war crimes but to actively support Ukraine in its defence of freedom and justice.