Kyiv, May 23, 2019

We, the representatives of NGOs, have been actively defending the sovereignty of Ukraine and its national interests in the global information space over the last 5 years and counteracting Russian aggression in the information field. Being engaged in different areas, we are working both on strengthening the civil society and establishing high-quality state institutions capable of constant dialog with the citizens, openly and responsibly reforming the country, making it more resistant to threats.

Our principles and positions remain unchanged. We see our mission in protecting those values that have become the choice of Ukrainian society during the Revolution of Dignity. These include freedom and dignity of humans that take center stage, Ukraine’s independence and protection of Ukrainian statehood, democracy, patriotism, courage, responsibility and honesty as the basic qualities of Ukrainian citizens.

We remain politically unbiased, but are concerned about the first decisions of the newly elected President. Unfortunately, they are currently showing a lack of understanding of the challenges faced by the country. We strongly disagree with the President’s desire to surround himself with the representatives of the regime of the former President of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych, which contradicts the principles of lustration, as well as people without the corresponding competences and those with whom Volodymyr Zelensky has business interests. The last years were too painful for the country for such short-sighted steps to have no consequences. These consequences can become fatal.

As the representatives of civil society, we outline a list of possible “red lines” – if the President crosses them, this will inevitably lead to deterioration in both the internal political and external situation around our country:

Security Issues

• a referendum on the format of negotiations with the Russian Federation or the principles of peaceful settlement;
• separate, without the participation of Western partners of Ukraine, talks with the leadership of the Russian Federation, representatives of the occupation authorities and their armed groups and gangs in the temporarily occupied territories of Donetsk and Luhansk Regions, Crimea and Sevastopol;
• execution, to the detriment of national interests, of ultimatum requirements of the aggressor state or the achievement of compromise with the Kremlin through concessions at the expense of national sovereignty, territorial integrity and organization and independent internal and foreign policy of Ukraine;
• slowdown in the implementation of security and defense policies outlined in the Strategic Defense Bulletin of Ukraine.

Foreign Policy Priorities:

• delaying, sabotaging or rejecting the strategic course for EU and NATO accession, reducing the level of political dialog and destroying the bilateral institutional mechanisms for cooperation in the European and Euro-Atlantic area;
• actions that will facilitate the relief or cancellation of the sanctions regime against the aggressor state by the international partners of Ukraine;
• revision of actions aimed at supporting international solidarity around Ukraine, restoring our territorial integrity, guaranteeing security and protecting the rights of all those who suffer from the actions of the Russian aggressor;
• counteracting or obstructing the activities of the Ukrainian side in international judicial instances and arbitration courts in bringing Russia to international legal responsibility for the acts of aggression and damage to Ukraine and its citizens.

Economic Steps:

• preferences for the oligarchs: in particular, return of the nationalized Privatbank to its former owners or payment of “compensations” to these owners and the use of the monopoly position of the financial and industrial groups in the energy sector;
• the policy is aimed against the current agreements with the IMF and other foreign partners of Ukraine that promote macrofinancial stability of Ukraine;
• large-scale redistribution of ownership for the benefit of a group of individuals;
• exerting pressure on regulators (AMCU, NCSREPU, the National Council on Television and Radio Broadcasting) and their use for the benefit of political forces or groups, as opposed to support for their reform with a view to strengthening and increasing independence).

Identity: Language, Education, Culture

• revision of the law on language;
• revision of the law on education;
• revision of the law on decommunization and condemnation of the totalitarian past;
• any actions aimed at undermining or discrediting the Orthodox Church of Ukraine or the support of the Russian Orthodox Church in Ukraine.

Mass Media and Information Policy

• using the media to promote the new authorities;
• resumption of Russian social networks and Russian TV channels in Ukraine;
• attempts to abolish the independence of the Public Broadcasting: premature change of its supervisory board or financial pressure.

Functioning of the State

• cancellation of electronic declaration for civil servants and Prozorro public procurement system;
• politically motivated persecution of representatives of the former authorities;
• Rehabilitation / return to politics of former representatives of the Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych regime and people who supported “dictatorship laws” of January 16, 2014;
• coalition of the “Servant of the People” party with the politicians who formed the basis of the Party of Regions and the Opposition Bloc in the new parliament and/or other parties that are in favor of reconciliation with Russia by way of surrender or concessions concerning the state sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine;
• ignoring the dialog with civil society;
• slowdown in the key reforms: administrative-territorial, medical, educational, banking reform;
• delay or sabotage of anti-corruption and judicial reform.

It is through constructive dialog, which also envisaged timely criticism of the authorities, that we have always strengthened Ukraine’s voice in the world and facilitated the support on the part of our international partners.

The fact of crossing these “red lines” will mean that the President does not seek genuine democratic change, does not want to establish a more honest and responsible governance in spite of the fact that he promised this during the election.

Signatories (UPDATED):

Ukrainian Crisis Media Center

Danylo Lubkivskyi, Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine (2014)

Mass Information Institute

Center for Civic Initiatives CEHRIN

Centre for Economic Strategy

NGO Detector Media

NGO Internews-Ukraine

Center for Global Studies “Strategy XXI”

Foreign Policy Council “Ukrainian Prism”

EuromaidanPress

Texty.org.ua

The Steering Committee of the Ukrainian National Platform for the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum

StopFake

Valerii Pekar, entrepreneur, teacher at business schools

CentreUA NGO

Information Portal “Stop Corruption”

Yevhen Stepanenko, head of the Social Theater, host of the program “War and Peace”

Yurii Makarov, writer, Member of the Board of Public Broadcasting Company

NGO “Stop Corruption”

Independent Media Trade Union of Ukraine

Irma Vitovskaya, Merited Artist of Ukraine, theater and cinema actress, public figure

Union of Writers of Ukraine

Charity Foundation “Vostok-SOS”

Middle East Studies Center

Ukraine Support Society, Latvia

DEJURE Foundation NGO

NGO “Ukrainian Democracy”

NGO “Revival of the East”

Yevhen Mahda, Director of the Institute of World Politics

Center for Analysis and Strategies

NGO “METHODOLOGY CENTER FOR ATO PARTICIPANTS, PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES, VETERANS AND VOLUNTEERS”

NGO “Association for Democratic Development”

NGO “Active Civil Position”

Modern Art Gallery TryptykhArt

NGO “Visionaries”

Ukrainian University, Washington, USA

International Leadership Foundation, Washington, USA

Leadership of the Ukrainian-Centered Forces of Ukraine and the Diaspora

Kharkiv Independent Media Group “Nakypilo”

UNCD – Ukrainian-Norwegian Center for Democracy

Charitable Foundation “Happy Family”

Myroslav Marynovich, a former political prisoner, a member of the Nestor Group

NGO “Center for Public Activity “Result”

Crimean House

NGO “Ukrainian World”

NGO”UAGroup”

Mishel Tereshchenko, Hlukhiv City Mayor

EastEuropeanDevelopmentInstitute

NGO “Crisis Media Center “Siverskyi Donets”

NGO “Donetsk Institute for Social Research and Political Analysis”

Information Human Rights Center “Edelweiss”

NGO “AGAINST CORRUPTION”

Volodymyr Kryzhanivskyi, Vice-President of the Association of MPs of Ukraine, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine

NGO “Humanitarian Board”

International Charitable Foundation “Maidan Hospital”

Institute of Civil Liberties

Institute for World Policy

NGO “AGAINST CORRUPTION “MAIDAN-ZAKHID”

Charitable Foundation “Academy of Modern Art, Realism and Creative Industries”

NGO “Law Guard”

NGO All-Ukrainian Association “Intelligent Ukraine”

NGO “Initiative Group “Together!”

NGO “Environmental Space of Ukraine”

Ukrainian Catholic University

NGO “All-Ukrainian Patriotic Association “Volunteer Movement of Ukraine”

Tatiana Verheles, Editor in Chief, IAZIK

Information Resistance Group (NGO “Center for Military and Political Studies”)

NGO “Historical Truth”

Elena Tereshchenko, Association of NGOs “KYIV VICHE”

International Volunteer Community InformNapalm

Greencubator

Ukrainian Worldview

NGO “Community Development Fund” (Kramatorsk)

NGO “Joint Objective”

NGO Crisis Media Center “Siverskyi Donets”

ICO “Environment – People – Law”

Social and Political Development Bureau

Alliance for Civil Rights

NGO “Crimean Wave”

NGO “Open University of Maidan” (OUM)

NGO UNCD – Ukrainian-Norwegian Center for Democracy

NGO Ukrainian Science Club

Ukrainian Center for European Policy (UCEP)

NGO “State and Me”

GreenEnergy NGO

Committee of Voters of Ukraine All-Ukrainian NGO

NGO “Association for Development and Security”

Initiative E+

Veteran Association Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union

Congress of National Communities of Ukraine

Yosyf Zisels, a former political prisoner

Healthcare Platform NGO

NGO “Anti-corruption Block of ATO Participants”

Coalition Reanimation Package of Reforms

If you want to join the signatories, fill out the form by the link.