As someone who has worked for years to help release political prisoners worldwide with Amnesty International, I was genuinely thrilled to see so many people freed by Russia. However, my joy was short-lived when I heard 1st address of the Russian opposition figures.

A thread. Kara-Murza, a prominent opposition leader in Russia, condemned broad sanctions imposed on Russia, labeling them as "extremely unfair & counterproductive." This view was shared by Pivovarov, who also called for lifting of these sanctions. There was also more.

Next time someone tells you "BUT WHAT ABOUT THE RUSSIAN SPEAKERS IN UKRAINE?!?!" share this thread with them about how Russia purposefully tried to erase Ukrainian language and culture throughout the centuries 👇 1720 - Russia’s Peter I issues decree banning the use of Ukrainian in religious books and texts. Conquers Ukrainian land and year later declares Russian Empire.

1729 - Russia’s Peter II orders that all state regulations and decrees are rewritten from Ukrainian to Russian.

As a Ukrainian, I am expected to ask the world for help, to prove I am worthy of saving. To travel high and low in the hope of receiving aid. But not too intensely. Because then I am told I look desperate. I am told “don’t ask for too much, don’t look too needy."

A thread 🧵 I am required to speak out boldly for my country. For the horrors it experiences & experienced for centuries. But not too boldly. Not about ordinary Russians, Russian culture or Russian colonialism. Otherwise I risk making foreigners, who I depend on for survival, uncomfortable.

As someone who has spent my whole professional life working in strategic communications for the world’s largest human rights organisation, I believe that you can call out the lack of action on some human rights issues without undermining valid efforts on others. A thread. Empathy, solidarity & humanity have been the main guiding principles of the human rights movement. I believe that rhetoric that weaponizes suffering of people affected by one human rights issue to make a point about the lack of action on another—goes against these principles.

I am so deeply hurt by this video.

After giving 5+ years of my life to this organisation, I am actually speechless. I can go into more detail as to why, but for now—I'll stop here.

https://twitter.com/amnesty/status/1640747623412908032

I've worked on the Annual Report ever since my first year at Amnesty International. Crafting the top-line of the Annual Report has always been an extremely important endeavour for us as an organization, collectively. I simply don't understand how this has happened...

There's a false belief that Russia's disintegration would not benefit “its people” because it would lead to economic & political hardship. But Russia is a colonial empire built on subjugation & exploitation of “its people.” Its downfall isn't only desirable, it's necessary. Why? Russia is unique because it's one of few colonial empires that didn’t break up in 20th century, like British or French. Partially because it colonised people nearby & didn’t have to go overseas, which simplified logistics & helped the Russian empire preserve itself until today.

This whole "Latvia cancelling exiled Russian television station TV Rain's license" has been fascinating to watch play out. Why?

Because reactions of some prominent Russian liberal figures highlighted for me that imperial approaches to post-Soviet states are well and alive. This is not another thread about "all Russians" etc., it is a thread about why the reaction of "some Russians" and their public statements that have painted Latvia as a tiny, shitty, uncultured, insignificant country have been extremely unhelpful for their cause.

Inspired by this week, I wanted to open up the space to talk about why empathy is not & has never been a limited resource. It’s important because caring about one cause, whether it personally affects you or not, can only strengthen a muscle that you can & should use for others. Solidarity driven by empathy is the only way we can truly overcome evil and dismantle the artificial divisions created by authoritarians between us to take away our collective power.

In the past 24 hours accounts here have wished me personally to be nuked, to starve, to go fuck myself and also that I look like a horse fucked a pig and that I’m fat. Some of my fave messages I received below. There’s literally SO MUCH work @elonmusk has to do to make this place safe, especially for women. Maybe he could start now?

I know that Ukrainians abroad feel guilty talking about burnout, because we’re not the ones fighting on frontlines nor the ones living under bombardments—but I’ve always found it important to share how I felt in hope of helping others. Here’s burnout “Ukrainian abroad” edition. In the beginning of Russia’s full scale invasion, many Ukrainians—like myself—were forced into a mode of hyper alertness. Our body reacted to trauma that we never could have imagined to happen by going into a fight or flight mode, as though we were being chased by a wild animal.

The @ccl_ua, which just received a @NobelPrize for Peace, is one of Ukraine’s leading human rights organizations. Since 2007 they have been working tirelessly to promote human rights values. A thread from @opokalchuk and I on why they need to be celebrated. They are strong because they are guided by a set of unwavering values: Respect for human dignity, freedom and human rights, impartiality, democracy, the rule of law, non-discrimination and solidarity.

I'm going to post it here because otherwise too intense under the @NobelPrize post, why do westerns feel the need to keep working us Ukrainians into spaces with Belarusians and Russians? Let me just explain to everyone why, in my opinion, this is problematic. As you know our main enemy is Putin. Putin has built almost his entire narrative that he has used to justify invasion, killing and bombing on the concept of ✨brotherly nations✨ of Ukraine, Belarus, Russia.

Yesterday, Putin announced partial mobilisation of his population to fight in #Ukraine. In this thread, I'll be collecting all the Twitter proof that points to the disproportionate mobilisation of indigenous populations colonised by #russia, which is racist & colonial AF🧵 Let's kick off with this viral video from #Dagestan, located in North Caucasus and colonised by russia. Indigenous populations being sent to their death thanks to #RussianColonialism, again.

https://twitter.com/TadeuszGiczan/status/1572924327405707264

I write tweets for a living since 2014, so let me write something that I am yet to see from a single russian liberal opposition leader, that I'm happy for them to just take & post instead of: “Visas, sanctions, mobilisation, angry unhelpful Ukrainians” See next tweet. “Dear Ukrainians, we accept full collective responsibility for this war of atrocities unleashed by our country on your people. We could have done more & we didn’t. We acknowledge the source of suffering of millions of people in region: Russia’s colonial & imperial domination…

Why ✨ EVERYONE ✨ needs to stop romanticising the Soviet Union, according to someone who lived during the Soviet Union - my Ukrainian grandmother. “Born during the Soviet period, we grew up with the belief that everything which existed before the revolution was bad, or it was almost as if it did not exist.”

On Ovsiannikova & Havel Dissent Award: I try to avoid historic comparisons but in this case I want to compare 2 strongest propaganda machines of all times. Would you give a prize to someone who worked closely with Goebbels for years & then all of a sudden changed their mind? I’m unsure. It seems to me that if her intentions were genuine, and she truly accepted collective and personal responsibility for what Russia is doing in Ukraine, which someone like her really should - she would not accept any prize for anything.

Russian colonialism in action right now in 2022 in occupied #Ukraine. Yes, it's happening right now. Russian colonialism is not just a thing of the past. Today, Russia is engaging in colonial practices in occupied Ukraine. Here's what's been happening👇 These not just random things that have been happening. These are coordinated practices that Russia has been using to acquire full political & economic control by occuping & then exploiting Ukraine. They are imposing their language, economics and other cultural practices.

Right now is a gr8 time to remind everyone of advice @snazzyazzy wrote & issue @seyiakiwowo has been working on: violence & abuse against women online. Many Ukrainian women have gone viral in last month, but vitriol has been just as viral. Here's what one can do to stay safe👇 1. Identify abuse: Online violence and abuse has become a far too common experience. And women suffer most. Our online poll found that 23 per cent of women across eight countries had experienced online abuse or harassment on social media platforms.

Why is Putin making such risky choices in Ukraine even though it’s bringing him seemingly very little utility maximization? We can say he’s lost it & is pure evil, but I’m going to turn to Prospect Theory—theory of behavioral economics by Kahneman—to try to make it make sense 🧵 From annexing Crimea, to invading Donbass & now this in Ukraine, Putin has chosen to pursue risk-acceptant choices even though none of it has led to any expected utility maximization - massive army losses, internal rising dissent, harsh economic sanctions, country’s isolation.

⚡It is being reported that this morning, a boy of approximately 7 years of age was received at Kyiv's central children's hospital "Okhmatdyt" by an ambulance in critical condition. The child was unconscious & lost a lot of blood. The boy was found to have a shrapnel wound to the neck on his right side, multiple shrapnel damage to soft tissues, a torn head wound and a concussion. Source is the hospital directly. instagram.com/p/CaaEeYbsh3C/…