PeaceQuest
  • Home
  • Projects
  • Blog
  • About Us
  • Donate
  • Email Us: sstaples@peacequest.ca
  • For teachers: WarandChildren.com
  • Subscribe to our weekly newsletter
PeaceQuest
  • Home
  • Projects
  • Blog
  • About Us
    • Welcome
  • Donate Now

    Scholarship fund studious poor children

    Notice: Test mode is enabled. While in test mode no live donations are processed.

    $
    Select Payment Method
    Personal Info

    Donation Total: $10

Should we celebrate those who refuse to fight in Ukraine?

Homepage Commentary Should we celebrate those who refuse to fight in Ukraine?
Commentary

Should we celebrate those who refuse to fight in Ukraine?

7 September 2023
By Steven Staples
0 Comment
1183 Views

The war in the Ukraine war is largely being fought by conscripts on both sides, and Ukraine and Russia need to increase the flow of men into the armed forces as the huge number of casualties climbs.

The government of Ukraine is trying to clamp down on men of between 18-60 (considering fighting-age) from avoiding conscription by enrolling as students. According to the Kyiv Post, the number of Ukrainian men enrolled as students over the age of 25 has ballooned from 40,000 in 2021 to 106,000 following the Russian invasion in 2022.

Likewise in Russia, starting next year, those ages 18 to 30 would be required to serve; currently, it is 18 to 27. The new law also prohibits men who have been conscripted from leaving the country, an attempt to cut down on draft dodging, says the New York Times.

Article continues below

Enjoying PeaceQuest? Please consider making a donation to support our peace education work.


DONATE

Organizations have emerged to assist “conscientious objectors,” or those who refuse to fight because of non-violence beliefs or other reasons.

To highlight these often controversial campaigns being mounted by peace groups on the ground in Ukraine, Russia, and neighbouring Belarus (a Russian ally), the International Peace Bureau is nominating three of them for the Nobel Peace Prize. The peace groups are the Russian Movement of Conscientious Objectors, the Ukrainian Pacifist Movement, and the Belarusian organization “Our House”.

“We are humbled and honored to nominate these three remarkable movements for the Nobel Peace Prize.”

Phillip Jennings, IPB Co-president

In an announcement, the IPB stated, “The decision to nominate these three organizations is a testament to their unwavering dedication in advocating for the right to conscientious objection to military service and promoting human rights and peace in their respective countries.”

Related posts

  • Activist facing execution for supporting anti-war conscripts in Belarus

It is a dangerous business advocating for conscientious objectors and their allies, as PeaceQuest readers will know. Last month we told you about Belarusian peace builder and human rights defender Olga Karatch who is under threat of deportation by NATO member Lithuania to Russia-allied Belarus, where she could face execution.

“We are humbled and honored to nominate these three remarkable movements for the Nobel Peace Prize. Their courage in championing the right to conscientious objection and their tireless efforts to promote peace and human rights serve as an inspiration to us all,” said Phillip Jennings, Co-President of IPB.

  • Read “The International Peace Bureau (IPB) Has Announced its Intention to Nominate Three Remarkable Organizations with a Focus on the Right to Conscientious Objection for the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize,” published August 3, 2023 by IPB.org

(Cover: Irpin, Ukraine – 5 March 2022: Ukrainian soldier stands on the check point to the city Irpin near Kyiv during the evacuation of local people under the shelling of the Russian troops. Via Shutterstock.)

Tags: Ukraine

Previous Story
Teachers: War and Children takes learners into the heart of children’s experiences
Next Story
More scandal from military brass at CFB Trenton

Related Articles

How did 338 Members of Parliament give a standing ovation to a Nazi?

David Pugliese of the Ottawa Citizen breaks it down for...

Silencing pacifists rather than guns in Ukraine

Anti-war organizers are being persecuted

Leave your comment Cancel Reply

(will not be shared)

Categories

  • Action
  • Analysis
  • Commentary
  • Event
  • PeaceQuest Cape Breton
  • PeaceQuest Kingston
  • PeaceQuest Regina
  • Resource
  • Teachers

Contact

PeaceQuest Leadership and Education Initiative

c/o Steven Staples, Chairperson

225 Sumach Street W303

Toronto  ON M5A 0P8

Email: sstaples@peacequest.ca

Phone: m. 647-327-7187

PeaceQuest Info

  • Projects
  • Blog
  • About Us
  • Donate
  • Subscribe

Local Groups

  • Cape Breton
  • Kingston
  • Regina

 

 

Teachers

  • WarandChildren.com
Copyright ©2020 PeaceQuest Leadership and Education Initiative
SearchPostsLogin
Thursday, 28, Sep
How did 338 Members of Parliament give a standing ovation to a Nazi?
Thursday, 28, Sep
Former Amnesty International head takes on nuclear weapons
Thursday, 28, Sep
Who’s operating nuclear power plants, and building more?
Friday, 22, Sep
Did Trudeau just help India’s strongman Narendra Modi?
Thursday, 21, Sep
Keep Hope Alive: Essays for a War-Free World
Friday, 15, Sep
Is there too much “Doomerism” in the climate movement?

Welcome back,