Ukraine
Citizen diplomacy with Russian people
6 April 2022
This page outlines our response to the war and offers links to events and resources from our partners.
Please also see our page Ukraine crisis and forced migration.
In a statement on 24 February Quakers in Britain strongly condemned the invasion of Ukraine and called for an end to the fighting.
Northern Friends Peace Board compiled a list of resources to increase understanding of the crisis and advocate peaceable action.
Some prepared ministry on responding to the war in Ukraine was delivered to Meeting for Sufferings, the national representative body of Quakers in Britain.
Friends World Committee for Consultation (FWCC), the global Quaker body, has issued a unifying Christian call for peace. Anyone who agrees with its message can endorse it on FWCC's website and share it.
There are online meetings for worship about Ukraine:
Churches Together in Britain and Ireland (CTBI) is joining with churches and faith-based organisations across Britain and Ireland to invite Christians to join together in prayer on 3 April (offsite link).
Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) is one of the main organisers of the humanitarian assistance. Christian Aid is part of DEC; it is the churches' relief agency of which Quakers in Britain is a sponsoring church.
The Bearr Trust , which supports grassroots health and welfare charities in Eastern Europe and has worked with Friends House Moscow, has issued a Ukraine appeal.
The Ukrainian Institute London has compiled a list of humanitarian charities which people can donate to. Some of the links from the Institute's webpages are to military sources, which we do not endorse.
Friends World Committee for Consultation – Europe and Middle East Section have in partnership with the British Friends of QCEA and the Central European Gathering (of Quakers) set up a mechanism for Friends to donate money for Quaker work with Ukrainians. You can find more information about it here.
The government has announced a 'Homes for Ukraine' sponsorship scheme where members of the public can offer to host Ukrainian refugees in their own homes . There isn't a single Quaker view on whether or not to participate: the Quaker Asylum and Refugee Network is compiling different Friends' perspectives on its website.
Our Ukraine forced migration page details all the information we have about the Homes for Ukraine scheme and offers some other ways we can support those fleeing violent conflict.
Some ideas for peace action were outlined in a blog on our website. For example, Friends could consider:
Together with our partners, Quakers in Britain are continuing to promote alternatives to militarism and helping to build a culture of peace and nonviolence. Our partners in this work include:
Header photo by
Max Kukurudziak on Unsplash
Online: Zoom, 23 June 2022
Daniel Jakopovich
Peace Lead
020 7663 1090
danielj@quaker.org.uk
Find out about the Homes for Ukraine scheme and other ways to support those fleeing violent conflict.
Quakers in Britain recognise that the need to build bridges between the people of Russia and (the rest of) Europe has never been greater. This page contains ideas for citizen diplomacy to help foster peace and good relations with Russian people.