Vienna 6/6/2022
13-year-old Faina Savenkova from Lugansk recently wrote a letter to the German Chancellor. Source.
Hello Mr. Scholz!
My name is Faina. I live in Lugansk, I write plays and stories and try to fight for peace.
Eight years ago, on May 26, 2014, war broke out in my home country. And on June 2nd a Ukrainian plane bombed my hometown. All this time Germany and France acted as guarantors of peace, but could do nothing.
In one of your interviews you said that there was no genocide against the Russian population in Donbass.
Isn’t the killing of children in the last 8 years a genocide? And the ban on the Russian language, the demolition of monuments to Pushkin, Chekhov, Bulgakov? Isn’t that genocide? Extermination and arrest of people who do not agree with the authorities – isn’t that fascism? Isn’t the existence of the website “myrotvorets.centre” a violation of human rights?
I am a 13 year old child and it is very difficult for me to influence the situation, so I have to ask adults for help. Mr Scholz, I would like to ask for your help and say that no arms should be sent to Ukraine because this would only lead to more casualties.
We may be seen as separatists in Europe, but imagine if tomorrow a region in Europe wanted to talk about autonomy. And imagine, instead of negotiating with them, for example, the government of Germany or Great Britain sends an army against them and starts bombing the capital of that region. Can you imagine something like that in Europe?
I really wish that Germany would not get involved in a war, but would help solve the problem peacefully and persuade the Ukrainian President to come to the negotiating table.
Children cannot tell adults what to do. But they have a right to their point of view. And ask for help.
The answer to this letter came:
Dear Faina,
many thanks for the letter of 27 May 2022 to Chancellor Olaf Scholz. Please understand that the Federal Chancellor is unfortunately not in a position to respond personally. The unusually large number of letters does not allow this. However, it can be assured that the Federal Chancellor attaches great importance to expressing the views and will of those who contact him in this way. All letters are assessed and included in the political opinion-making process.
Thank you for your personal thoughts. They were noted here.
Yours faithfully, on behalf of the Chancellor Nadine Wachter
I just found Faina’s letter to the Children of Europe for International Children’s Day:
Half of my childhood was spent in war. And for three years now I have been trying to get through to the adults. Politicians, religious and cultural figures… I try to tell them what is going on in our country, but the adults listen as usual, but are in no hurry to do something. The war goes on, adults are killed, children…. And I am unfortunately powerless here. We, the children of Donbass, have experienced what the children of Ukraine are experiencing now. We know this fear. It is difficult for me to give advice to Ukrainian children, but as a child who lived in the war for eight years and saw the horrors of what happened, I want to wish them to be strong, not to become bitter and not to learn to hate. That is the most important thing. We know that. And anyway, the war will definitely end.
There is a lot of injustice in the world, but we, the children, try not to notice it. That’s why sometimes we have to ask questions. For example, what do you know about the Donbass? Or what do you know about children who died in military conflicts? Do you know the name of Kirill Sidoryuk? And what do you know about Milica Rakić, who was killed by cluster bombs in Serbia? Do you know the names of these children and their fates? I don’t think so. Well then, I will tell you that they died in wars waged by adults.
There has been a war in the Donbass for 8 years and nobody notices it. For Europe the war started in February 2022, for us it started in 2014. It is unlikely that it will be reported on TV or by well-known politicians. But I believe that the truth will prevail in any case. The children of the world will certainly be friends and there will be less and less war. That is my dream. This may be childish in its way, but I would so much like that the children of the world would never have to go through what the children of war went through, and that 1 June would just be a holiday. And that when I grow up and go to Angel Avenue in Donetsk or Lugansk and place flowers at the memorial, I would not see new names of children who died in that war.
Author of the article: Marek Wojcik