On Thursday morning, I read on the Dutch news website NOS that 15 people had been killed in a major air strike on Kyiv, including four children. An EU building had also been hit. My thoughts went out to Yurii Sheliazhenko, my pacifist Ukrainian peace activist friend who lives in Kyiv. I asked him how he was doing.
He wrote back:
Good morning. Thank you for your care. Yes, this night was sleepless. Some explosions were nearby, but thanks to Jesus, I am alive. Very sad that Kremlin escalates mass murder.
I was also very grateful to Christ that Yurii is doing well under the circumstances. However, I am overcome by feelings of despair and even distress that peace talks are underway between President Trump and President Putin about Ukraine, and that the Russian president continues to opt for armed violence at the same time. I also believe that the Ukrainian government and, above all, Ukrainian pacifists should play a key role when it comes to peace in Ukraine. But because of President Putin’s continued violent responses, I have been wondering recently whether the path to peace through peaceful means is still viable. However, Yurii shows me that it is more complex than that.
Putin probably lost his mind because his energy business is under threat.
I don’t know anything about this. Yurii sends me a number of links. According to Ukrainian Pravda, President Volodymyr Zelensky has hinted that the attacks on the Druzhba oil pipeline in Russia are directly related to Hungary’s position on Ukraine’s accession to the EU. Earlier, European Pravda reported that the Druzhba pipeline, which supplies Hungary with oil, has become a bone of contention in the dialogue between Ukraine and Hungary.
Yurii also sends me an article from Newsweek, headlined: Russia gripped by gas shortages after Ukraine strikes.
It is an eye-opener for me. That Ukraine has carried out attacks in Russia since the talks with President Trump, which we have heard nothing about here, unless I have overlooked it. So it is apparently also about oil and gas. President Putin’s air strikes on Kyiv are horrific, and I am against all acts of violence. And of course, I am totally opposed to violence against children and other civilians. However, the attacks did not come completely out of the blue. That is, there is much more going on than I am aware of. Yurii is well informed about what is happening in his country. As Professor Séverine Autesserre points out in her book The Frontlines of Peace, it is important to install local soft powers in the driver’s seat. They are familiar with the country, the language, and the culture.
I ask Yurii what he thinks needs to be done to stop Putin’s violence. He replies:
“General idea is the same as previously. Details needed to be worked through.”
I ask him if he is referring to the plan he sent to President Zelensky’s office.
“Of course. The principle of nonviolence is fundamental, for many reasons.”
I think it is extremely courageous of Yurii to stick to his principles of nonviolence, even after a violent night of air strikes by Russia. That shows true brotherly love.
Yurii sees war as organized mass murder. An important document of the Ukrainian pacifists is the Peace Agenda for Ukraine and the world. The Ukrainian pacifists are committed to ending the war by peaceful means and protecting the right to conscientious objection to military service. They condemn Russian aggression and join the call of the United Nations General Assembly to resolve the conflict between Russia and Ukraine peacefully and to respect human rights and international humanitarian law.
Let that indeed be the way forward. Release conscientious objectors in Ukraine and Russia and amplify their voices for peace. Let them play an important role in the peace process. Let there be a ceasefire soon in Ukraine, Gaza, and the rest of the world. Let the people and world leaders unite for peace. Let us care for the most vulnerable on earth. Let world leaders work together to solve the climate problem and the destruction of nature. Let us invest in peace instead of weapons designed to kill each other.
I would like to end this opinion piece with Yurii’s words:
“May truth and love be the greatest powers in the world, embracing East and West.”
Author: May-May Meijer, founder Peace SOS
PS1 According to the Kyiv Independent, 23 people were killed in the air strike on Kyiv on Friday morning, including four children, and 63 were injured, including eleven children.
PS 2 For more information, see, for example, this recent speech by Yurii Sheliazhenko on August 24 for people in Slovenia.
Note: This article was published in Dutch under the title: Het principe van geweldloosheid blijft ook na deze Russische aanval belangrijk. on the Joop BNNVARA website on 29 August, 2025.
Photo: Kyiv after the Russian attacks. Photo via Yurii Sheliazhenko, photographer unknown.