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Dear Friends of Res Artis,

As you know we were due to hold a conference in Kyiv, Ukraine in September 2022, titled ‘How to inhabit instability?’ and hosted by IZOLYATSIA in cooperation with the Ukrainian Institute, House of Europe and Goethe-Institut Ukraine.

When we devised this title, we could never have imagined the horrific events that have unfolded over the past week. First and foremost, we are relieved to have made contact with our friends at IZOLYATSIA today.

We stand in solidarity with our Ukrainian partners, members, creatives and the people of Ukraine.

Art residencies are founded on the principles of intercultural understanding, diversity and cross-cultural exchange. They have the ability to transcend borders. Already, our Members in the arts residency sector are responding. We will be sharing their innovative arts residency initiatives aimed at providing aid and assistance through our social media channels.

Please show your support by sharing our social media posts and using the following hashtags:

#ResidenciesForUkraine #NoToWar #ResidenciesWithoutBorders #ResArtisForUkraine #StandWithUkraine

One of our conference partners, Ukrainian Institute, has written to seek the support of Res Artis and all our stakeholders. Please see their message below and circulate through your networks: https://ui.org.ua/en/

The situation in Ukraine: On 24 February 2022, at 5.00 am the armed forces of the Russian Federation attacked Ukraine. Explosions, bombings, and air raids have hit all major Ukrainian cities. Russia is conducting warfare with disregard to the key principle of the international law, namely distinction between civilians and combatants, or between civilian and military objects. The aggressor’s tanks and heavy artillery crossed the Ukrainian border from the north, the south, and the east. As a result, Ukraine suffers the loss of its residents, both combatants and civilians, including children. As of 27 February, Russian invaders killed 352 civilians, including 14 children, wounded 1,684, and caused great destruction of civil infrastructure. The Ukrainian Army continues to defend every piece of the Ukrainian territory, every civilian, and the very spirit of freedom and democracy. Ukraine resists and strives for peace.

How the Ukrainian Institute will work in the coming months: The Ukrainian Institute works in an emergency mode as an information hub in close cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine. Our Kyiv office is closed but we continue to work remotely. Our whole team is safe now, as safe as we can be in times of war.

All our projects planned for the next three months are suspended. Our programme funding is likely to be reallocated for the purposes of the Ukrainian Army. We ask for your understanding of this necessary action. We will resume conversations with our partners once we receive further advice from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and our Supervisory Board.

How you can HELP Ukraine: Our team keeps receiving hundreds of requests and inquiries on how to help Ukraine. The most important things we ask you to do right now are:
• read and share verified information about Russia’s attack on Ukraine, e.g.:
o Ukrainska Pravda: https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng
o NV: https://english.nv.ua/?utm_content=set_lang
o UkraineWorld: https://ukraineworld.org
o Euromaidan Press: https://euromaidanpress.com
o Ukraine Crisis Media Center: https://uacrisis.org/en
o The Kyiv Independent: https://kyivindependent.com
o Kyiv Post: https://www.kyivpost.com
o Finally, you may check the globally renowned media with high journalistic standards and comprehensive coverage, such as BBC, CNN, The Guardian, and others.

• Donate funds to support the Ukrainians in this fight and encourage your family, friends and networks to do so:
o Come Back Alive, a charity that has effectively raised over USD 21.5 million for the army and humanitarian needs since the beginning of Russian aggression in 2014 - https://savelife.in.ua/en/donate/. The charity is a transparent and trustworthy organization, one of the most efficient of its kind in Ukraine;
o a special account created recently by the National Bank of Ukraine: https://bank.gov.ua/en/news/all/natsionalniy-bank-vidkriv-spetsrahunok-dlya-zboru-koshtiv-na-potrebi-armiyi. All funds accumulated on this account will be used solely to procure supplies and otherwise support the Armed Forces of Ukraine;

• Join or organise peaceful protests and rallies in your cities. if your local governments see a clear message from their citizens, that is YOU, they are more likely to act;

• Publish posts on your personal and institutional social media pages to condemn the Russian aggression and support Ukraine using #StandWithUkraine