Dear students from Russia and Belarus,

On 24 February 2022, the armed forces of the Russian Federation, also making use of the territory of Belarus, attacked Ukraine. This condemnable, unprovoked war is ongoing and has resulted in a huge cost to human life and property of Ukrainians.

Our university, our country, the European Union and the vast majority of the democratic countries around the world have condemned this act of Russia and continue to stand with Ukraine. This Russian act of aggression, when Russia has violated international law by attacking a sovereign country, must be strongly rejected!

Dear students, we understand that President Putin’s acts are not your acts, but even for you this is a moment when you have to make a decision.

During your studies at CTU, you have got acquainted with the free academic environment, with democratic and academic principles, which we observe and which are dear to us. You have free access to information and you can make independent, objective conclusions. Unlike many of your countrymen in Russia and Belarus, you are not manipulated by state propaganda and censorship.

I truly believe that these achievements of democracy have allowed you to take an objective view of the horrendous crime of war and that you condemn it together with us! If some of you get information and make conclusions solely from Russian state information sources, I would like to invite you to study other sources too and critically assess the facts and their veracity.

People in the Czech Republic experienced two moments in the 20th century when two dictators (Hitler and Brezhnev), using the same lies and arguments, subjugated us. You have a possibility to talk to eye witnesses to those events and using those examples you will be able to understand the destructive force of the attackers’ propaganda.

Approval of war aggression is a criminal act!

If you stand on the side of peace, try to inform your friends and family in Russia and Belarus about what you have learned, and help overcome the effect of unobjective propaganda, lack of information and brainwashing. This is the best way to beat the war efforts of a small group of people in power who have imperial intentions. A mutual understanding that there are normal people on both sides who want to live together peacefully is crucial to make sure that reason overcomes fear and manipulation by those in power.

Dear students, if you share the values of freedom, democracy and open cooperation among people that are so dear to us, I can promise you our support and the same rights and opportunities that all our students enjoy. But the choice is yours. Your objective view of the war can also help your country. Thousands of young men from Russia have been dying in this war, completely unnecessarily and on a whim of a power-hungry ruler. Help them and help stop this war!

Vojtěch Petráček

Rector, CTU