Early on Saturday morning, Pirate Parties International issued the following statement:

“The Pirates of Europe and the world strongly condemn the actions taken by Vladimir Putin. It’s with deep sorrow that we watch the events in Ukraine unfold, and our thoughts are with the people of Ukraine, those suffering the consequences of this conflict, and those opposing the war inside of Russia. We hope for a swift and peaceful resolution to this conflict, and for the immediate end of all hostilities in the region.”[1]

Pirate Party Australia endorses this statement, and repeats the call for the Australian government to add to the international sanctions against Russia in any way possible, blocking their access to Australian markets.

Additionally, we call on the Australian government to immediately improve the transparency and accessibility of the asylum seeking process – whether for Ukrainian refugees or otherwise – and remind Australians of the Liberal-National government’s inhumane track record in this area.

“My grandparents were refugees from Europe after the Second World War, so war in Europe was something I hoped never to see in my lifetime,” said Brandon Selic, Senate candidate for Queensland. “While the Australian Government can support and implement a full range of sanctions against Russia, the most meaningful thing they can do right now is open our borders unreservedly to Ukrainian War Refugees.”

Mr Selic continued, “Over 30 years ago we opened our doors to the Children of Chernobyl. We cannot have forgotten our compassion in so short a time, so we must openly help any War Refugees in their time of need.”

Finally, we support the European Pirate’s call to reduce the dependance of all European Union countries on coal, oil and gas both imported from Russia and more generally to replace them with low-emission alternatives.

Those wishing to support Ukraine on an individual level can donate to a variety of charities listed below[2]:

https://voices.org.ua/en/donat/
https://crisisrelief.un.org/t/ukraine
https://www.unrefugees.org.au/emergency-response/ukraine-emergency/donate/
https://redcross.org.ua/en/donate/

References and further reading:
1: https://pp-international.net/2022/02/joint-statement-by-european-pirates-and-pirate-parties-international-on-putins-aggression-against-ukraine/
2: https://www.gq.com/story/where-to-donate-in-ukraine (list of charities)