Dear colleagues,
On the 24th of February 2022, Russian military forces invaded Ukraine. The shelling of Ukrainian cities, including residential units, schools, kindergartens, hospitals, began on that very day and hasn't stopped since. According to the Ukrainian State Emergency Service, as of 2nd of March 2022, 2000 civilians were killed, thousands were injured, many lost their homes.
People in Kyiv, Kharkiv, Chernihiv, Volnovakha, Bucha, Irpin, Sumy, Vasilkiv, Kherson, Odesa, Mariupol, Mykolayiv, Zhytomyr and dozens of other towns are spending days in basements and metro stations, or risk shelling in their homes. In some areas, supply chains of food and necessities are disrupted, putting thousands of people in Ukraine into a humanitarian crisis.
Russia has launched a full-scale war on the territory of sovereign Ukraine. Meanwhile, in Russia, protests against the war are being violently shut down. Peaceful protesters who openly state their position against the actions of their government are being prosecuted. The Prosecutor General's Office and Roskomnadzor require independent Russian media outlets to remove materials in which military actions on Ukrainian territory are called a war, aggression, or invasion. Otherwise, there will be huge fines and the prospect of media liquidation. We are witnessing massive propaganda and disinformation on the attack on Ukraine by government-controlled media in Russia.
Music industry response on the war :
- Complete Music Update: Ukrainian musicians urge streaming services to allow political messaging on their platforms in response to Russian invasion
- Louder than War: Life on the frontline: Interview and article from a musician/journalist in Kyiv
- IQ Magazine: UKRAINIAN PROMOTERS: “RIGHT NOW, IT’S A MATTER OF SURVIVAL
- Rolling Stone: ‘I’m Destroyed Inside’: Ukraine’s Flourishing Music Scene Faces an Existential Threat
- Music Ally: The war in Ukraine and how its artists are reacting - and how people in the music industry can provide real help.
How can YOU help Ukraine? We created a special document to provide you the answer. Share it, choose your mission, join us! You can spread the word, donate, help our refugees and more! Each action matters! This war has an impact on each of us. We must STOP it.
