Ukraine: “I am absolutely convinced that there is no diplomatic solution” to the war, says a Russian activist

There is currently no “diplomatic solution» to war in UkraineIrina Sherbakova, co-founder of the Russian human rights NGO Memorial, which was disbanded by the Russian authorities and awarded the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize, said today.

“I am absolutely convinced that there is no diplomatic solution with the Putin regime, while he is still there,” said Irina Sherbakova from Hamburg, who left the Russia after the invasion of Ukraine by Russian forces and currently resides in Germany.

“The solution presented now is a military solution”even if later, diplomacy can play a role in resolving the conflict, said Sherbakova, who received the Marion Doenhoff Award in Hamburg for her years of human rights activism in Russia.

“However, these decisions, this diplomacy will be able to intervene only when Ukraine appreciates that he won the war and can end it“, he emphasized.

According to the Russian activist, premature calls for peace are “childish». “Nothing will ever be the same again,” he said.

The Marion Doenhoff Award was presented to Sherbakova by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. Irina Sherbakova’s efforts point the way to a “better future for Russia,” even if that prospect “still seems unattainable”the chancellor said.

The war should not end with “a victory for Russian expansionism,” but we must not forget that Russia will “always be there” after hostilities end, Soltz continued.
Memorial, which was awarded the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize together with Belarusian human rights activist Ales Bialiatsky and the Ukrainian Center for Civil Liberties, will receive the award in Oslo on Saturday 10 December.

Memorial was founded in 1989 and worked for decades to shed light on the crimes committed under Stalin’s totalitarian regime and to preserve the memory of its victims, while gathering information on the violation of freedoms and rights in Russia. The organization was dissolved by the Russian judiciary at the end of 2021.