Thread by @johnnyjmils

Had another chat with Faina Savenkova yesterday. She’s a 14 year old girl living in Donbass who’s on the Ukrainian “hit list” Myrotvorets. She’s not famous, like Greta Thunberg. But she should be. She’s an incredible young woman

If you’re not familiar with Myrotvorets it is an online database of “enemies of Ukraine.” It has links with the gov. It publishes the names and addresses of hundreds of children. And marks journalists as liquidated when they are killed.

Faina is the only child on the list who is outspoken. The rest and their families, understandably don’t speak out due to fear of reprisals. Faina is a courageous young woman. She was put on the list because she campaigned for justice in Donbass. She was 12 at the time!

She recently wrote to @amnesty and the @UN. I have a lot of respect for both. But am disappointed they haven’t replied to her. AI recently criticised Ukraine and got hammered for it. Have they now been intimidated to not call out Ukrainian human rights abuses?

I could make a solid argument that a list, publishing the home addresses of children and promoting violence toward them, is the most serious human rights violation in Europe right now… is there much more extreme? and yet people are silent…

One of the reasons for silence, is that anyone who criticises Myrotvorets, in some kind of Kafkeresque nightmare, is themselves put on the list. Like myself and recently Canadian journalist Guy Boulliane.

The list exists to shut down any criticism of the Ukrainian government and extremist elements in the country. Numerous ‘Ukrainians’ have refused video interviews with me because they are on the list and they fear reprisals.

NATO and Ukraine have the power to shut the list down. But they don’t. Why? Because the extremist element in Ukraine is integral to their war against Russia. When a society says it’s ok to promote violence toward children… it opens a dark door that can be difficult to shut.

If this war is about European values, the list must be shut down. Extremism by its very character must be fought and not acquiesced. When a 14 year old girl, whose home address is published by extremists, speaks. And nothing is being done about. We need to listen.