# A L L H A N D S F O R U K R A I N E

All hands for Ukraine!

In 2014, the German historian Karl Schloegel wrote that the future of Europe would be determined in Ukraine. A decade later, the future is here, but not in a good way. There is a war going on in Ukraine, and that war may engulf the rest of Europe at any moment now. The Russian dictator Putin and his spin doctors have repeatedly claimed that they are not waging a war against Ukraine per se – they are fighting a war against the West on Ukrainian land. They want to restore the divided Europe of the Cold War to make Russia “great again”. To achieve this aim, they have to take full control of Ukraine. They have accumulated resources to fight until the end of this decade and made plans until the 2040s.

If you think war in Ukraine does not concern you, think twice. If Russia prevails in Ukraine and enjoys impunity, it will be emboldened to bring the war to your doorstep.

For three years now, the resistance put up by Ukrainians has prevented that from happening. Ukrainians are paying a high price. Ukraine is bleeding, its ecology and economics are being slowly destroyed, and there is hardly a Ukrainian who has not lost a relative, a friend or a colleague on the battlefield or killed by Russian missiles that are frequently aimed at civilian targets.

More than anything, Ukrainians are longing for peace. But they do not have the luxury to stop fighting. If they do, Ukraine would cease to exist, and millions of its citizens would be killed, imprisoned or forced to leave their country.

Without Europe, Ukraine may lose the war. When Europe is with Ukraine, Russia has no chance of winning.

Apart from weapons and finances, the important resource is morale. To stand against the aggressor, Ukrainians need your moral support. They need to know they are not alone in the fight for their freedom.

Do not let your leaders appease Russia by giving up Ukraine. As the history of World War II shows, the aggressor can be stopped only by force, not by negotiations. Otherwise, the aggressor will continue - until he reaches your own home.

On 23-24 February 2025, on the grim anniversary of the beginning of the full-scale invasion, we invite you to show solidarity with Ukraine, to come out together on the streets and squares of European cities, holding hands and forming human chains to show that Ukraine is not alone.

The human chain event envisages European citizens and communities coming together for a manifestation of solidarity with Ukraine, inspired by the historic Baltic Way of 1989, which saw millions of people holding hands in the pursuit of freedom and was followed a few months later in 1990 by Ukrainians themselves coming together and holding hands for their Day of Unity, as a powerful symbol of their movement for freedom and independence.

Held on 23 and 24 February in a number of European cities, the human chains of European citizens will demonstrate unwavering support for Ukraine at a time of global political uncertainty and serial indecision.

Citizens across Europe prepare a flashmob human chain of solidarity for Ukraine, 23-24 February 2025

As Ukraine approaches a sombre anniversary of the full-scale war waged by Russia against its people and sovereignty, over 200 European thinkers and civil society activists from more than 20 countries have united in an appeal urging citizens and communities across Europe to come together and reiterate their support for Ukraine.

To highlight a shared commitment to Ukraine’s victory, the initiative proposes forming human chains of solidarity in cities across the continent on 23 or 24 February, drawing inspiration from the historic Baltic Way of 1989 and the Ukrainian Wave of 1990. Activists in dozens of cities have already responded to the call. This website allhandsforukraine.org offers information about event organizers.

If a city is not listed under the “join the event” button, the signatories of the appeal encourage people across Europe to form their own groups, join hands in smaller flashmob chains, and share pictures on social media using the hashtag #allhandsforukraine creating a virtual chain of solidarity across the continent.

23.02.2025,
14:00

Amsterdam, Dam

23.02.2025,
16:00

Barcelona, Passeig de Gracia, 90, L’Eixample

23.02.2025,
16:00

Budapest, Városhaza oark

23.02.2025,
14:00

Paris, Place de la République

23.02.2025,
15:00

Prague, Staromestske nam.

23.02.2025,
15:00

Rome, P.za dell’Esquilino

24.02.2025,
18:30

London, Trafalgar Square

24.02.2025,
15:30

Tbilisi, 14 Merab Kostava Street

24.02.2025,
18:00

Riga, Dome square

24.02.2025,
19:00

Warsaw, aleja Jana Chrystiana Szucha 7

Friends who have supported us

Prominent European figures who join us in supporting the #allhandsforukraine action.

Adam Michnik 

Gazeta Wyborcza

Poland

Karl Schloegel

Professor emeritus, Berlin

Germany

Javier Cercas

Author

Spain

Agnieszka Holland

Film director

Poland

Doris Kareva

Poet

Estonia

Geert Mak

Author

The Netherlands

Jonathan Littell

Writer

France

Rita Ruduša

Journalist and author

Latvia

Martin M. Šimečka

Journalist, author

Slovakia

Birgitta Swedenborg

Economist

Sweden

István Rév 

Blinken OSA

Hungary

Anton Shekhovtsov

Central European University

Austria

Dr Sasha Dovzhyk

director of INDEX: Institute for Documentation and Exchange 

Ukraine

Dr Olesya Khromeychuk 

director of Ukrainian Institute London

UK

Yuliya Yurchuk

Södertörn University

Sweden

Ioulia Shukan

EHESS

France

Ela Kwiecińska, PhD

Polish Academy of Sciences

Poland

Joachim von Puttkamer

Friedrich Schiller University, Jena

Germany

Pawel Dobrosielsk

University of Warsaw

Poland

Ivan Klyszcz

ICDS

Estonia

Ruud Meij

Director Foundation for Justice Integrity and Anti Corruption

The Netherlands

Karolina Wigura

Historian, university of Warsaw. Senior fellow, Centre for Liberal Modernity, Berlin

Poland / Germany

Jaroslaw Kuisz

Editor in chief, Kultura Liberalna

Poland

John Vsetecka

Nova Southeastern University

USA

Alexandra Wishart

University of Ottawa

Canada

Manuela Boatca

University of Freiburg

Germany

Michał Murawski

University College London

UK

Daria Mattingly

University of Chichester

UK

Victoria Donovan

University of St Andrews

UK

Valeria Korablyova

Charles University, Prague

Czech Republic

Steve Swerdlow

University of Southern California

USA

Gražina Bielousova

Vytautas Magnus University, Kaunas

Lithuania

Kateryna Volochniuk

University of St Andrews

Scotland

Abigail Scripka

ZZF Potsdam

Germany

Anna Lordan

Oberlin College

USA

Otari Gulbani

Central European University

Austria

Nana Kobidze

Central European University

Austria

Anna Colin Lebedev

University Paris Nanterre

France

Olga Bertelsen 

Tiffin University, 

USA

Kateryna Botanova

Frontier Institute

Ukraine

Kamila Fiałkowska

University of Warsaw

Poland

Svitlana Odynets

Northumbria University

UK

Anton Liagusha

Kyiv School of Economics

Ukraine

Stefanie Eisenhuth

Center for Contemporary History (ZZF) Potsdam

Germany

Eva Yakubovska

Vitsche

Germany

Panayiotis Xenophontos

University of Oxford

UK

Eleonora Narvselius

Lund University

Sweden 

Iwa Kołodziejska

University of Warsaw

Poland

Karolina Uskakovych

University of Nottingham

UK

Yuliia Kravchenko

Kyiv-Mohyla Academy

Ukraine

Viktoriia Grivina

St Andrews University

UK

Maya Hayda

Princeton University

USA

Galia Ackerman

Author, historian, editor of Desk Russie

France

Jan Paternotte

Member of parliament D’66

The Netherlands

Emily Finer

St Andrews University

UK

Oksana Dudko

University of Toronto

Canada

Viktoriia Medvied

St Andrews University

UK

Ashley Humphrey

Monash University

Australia

Ada Wordsworth

University College London

UK

Heather Fielding

University of Wisconsin-Eau Clair

USA

Valerii Pekar

Ukrainian Catholic University

Ukraine

Ganna Dovbakh

Eurasian harm reduction association

Lithuania

Yevhen Zakharchenko

V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University

Ukraine

Maryna Hryhorieva

V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University

Ukraine

Olesia Isaiuk

National Memorial museum "Lontskoho prison"

Ukraine

Botakoz Kassymbekova

University of Zurich

Switzerland

Mykola Hlibischu

Yuriy Fedkovych Chernivtsi National University

Ukraine

Michael Alpert

United States National Heritage Fellow

USA

Tatiana Smorodina

University of Konstanz

Germany

Liana Blikharska

Ukrainian Catholic University

Ukraine

Mila O’Sullivan

Institute of International Relations, Prague

Czech Republic

Vladyslav Starodubtsev

Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv

Ukraine

Mischa Gabowitsch

Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz

Germany

Hanna Oliinyk

University of Oxford

UK

Natalie Nougayrède

INDEX & Centre for Urban History Lviv. 

France / Ukraine 

Qianrui Hu

University College London

UK

Vincent Artman

George Mason University

USA

Anna Kuzemko

National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine

Ukraine

Kornelia Kończal

Bielefeld University

Germany

Carmen Claudin

CIDOB, Barcelone

Spain

Barbara von Ow-Freytag

Prague Civil Society Centre

Germany

Anne Le Huérou

University of Paris Nanterre

France

Dana McKelvey

Central European University

Austria

Aude Merlin

Université libre de Bruxelles

Belgium

Anselm Schmidt

University of Tartu

Estonia

Yuliia Soroka

N.V.Karazin Kharkiv National University

Ukraine

Triinu Tamm

translator and editor

Estonia

Joséphine Brive

Université de Bordeaux

France

Laurent Coumel

INALCO, Paris

France

Yuliya Yurchenko

University of Greenwich

UK

Vesna Teršelič

Documenta

Croatia

Adrien Nonjon

INALCO, Paris

France

Lia Dostlieva

Adam Mickiewicz University

Poland

Martin Hála 

Charles University, Prague

Czech Republic

Jan Balbierz

Jagiellonian University, Krakow

Poland

Vera Ammer

MEMORIAL Deutschland

Germany

Alexandra Alissa Novitchkova

Toronto Metropolitan University

Canada

Leila Alieva

University of Oxford

UK

Rein Raud

novelist & professor, Tallinn University

Estonia

Graham Harman

Southern California Institute of Architecture, Los Angeles

USA

Giulia De Florio

University of Parma, Memorial Italia

Italy

Andrea Gullotta 

University of Palermo, Memorial Italia

Italy

Juliette Cadiot 

Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales (EHESS)

France 

Françoise Daucé

Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales (EHESS)

France

Marcin Rychter

University of Warsaw, Department of Philosophy

Poland

Maarja Kangro

Estonian Writers’ Union

Estonia

Viviana Nosilia

University of Padua

Italy

Carlo Ginzburg

Scuola Normale at Pisa/UCLA

Italy

Elena Kostioukovitch 

elkost intl literary agency

Italy 

Alberto Masoero

Università di Torino

Italy

Marc Elie

CNRS

France

Mario Corti

Journalist and Author

Italy

Alessandra Carbone

Università di Siena

Italy

Elena Gori Corti

Translator

Italy

Sophie Lambroschini

CNRS

France

Barbara Golini

University of Applied Science Esslingen

Germany

Marcello Flores

Historian

Italy

Katarzyna Naliwajek

University of Warsaw Institute of Musicology

Poland

Vanessa Voisin

University of Bologna

Italy

Catherine Gousseff

CNRS

France

Elena Dundovich

University of Pisa

Italy

Ksenia Ermoshina

CNRS

France

Eugene Finkel

Johns Hopkins University

USA / Italy

Benjamin Beuerle

Centre Marc Bloch

Germany

Solvita Krese

Latvian Center for Contemporary Art

Latvia

Marco Buttino

Historian

Italy

Michael Sohlman

School of Civic Education 

UK / Sweden

Irina Tcherneva

CNRS

France

Pauls Raudseps

Journalist

Latvia

Halyna Herasym

University College Dublin

Ireland

Romaric Jannel

Collège international de philosophie (CIPh) / Kyoto University

France / Japan

Alexandra Bondarev

Independent cultural translator, photographer and writer

Lithuania

Stefano Aloe

University of Verona

Italy

David Alan Rich

Catholic University of America

USA

Stefano Pisu

University of Cagliari

Italy

Laÿna Droz

The University of Tokyo

Japan

Andreas Schonle 

University of Bristol 

UK

Giovanna Siedina

University of Florence

Italy

Simone Attilio Bellezza

University of Eastern Piedmont

Italy

Eva Piirimäe

University of Tartu

Estonia

Liana Goletiani

University of Bergamo

Italy

Lia Dostlieva

Adam Mickiewicz University

Poland

Tatiana Ostakhova

University of Messina

Italy

Francesca  Gori

Memorial Italia

Italy

Oleg Rumyantsev

University of Palermo

Italy

Marta Šimečkova

Central European Forum

Slovakia

Thomas Serrier

Université de Lille

France

Elena Freda Piredda

University of the Sacred Heart of Milan

Italy

Pier Francesco Zazo

Former ambassador to Ukraine (2020–2024)

Italy 

Hubert Smeets

Journalist, Platform Raam

The Netherlands

Ellen Rutten

University of Amsterdam

The Netherlands

Massimo Maurizio

University of Turin, Memorial Italia

Italy

Anna Marcianò

teacher, Memorial Italia

Italy

Marco Noris

teacher

Italy

Giovanna Brogi

Italy

Pascale Laborier

Paris Nanterre University

France

Dainis Īvāns

National History museum

Latvia

Bernard Poulet

Journalist, author

France

Annette Laborey

Civic activist

France

Delphine Nougayrède

Lawyer, member of Paris bar

France

Laurynas Katkus

PhD, writer

Lithuania

Dana Mojzisova

Secretary of the Czech PEN

Czech Republic

Jennifer Clement

PEN emerita president

Mexico

Tomica Bajsic

Croatian Pen Centre, president

Croatia

Kjersti Løken Stavrum

Norwegian PEN, president

Norway

Oumar Farouk Sesay 

PEN Sierra Leone, president

Sierra Leone

Tomica Bajsic

Croatian PEN, president

Croatia

Félix Villeneuve

PEN Québec, president

Canada

Hilde Hagerup

Writer

Norway

Dušan Gojkov

Balkan Literary Herald, PEN Arman

Serbia

Josep Manuel Vidal-Illanes

PEN Català, vice-president. Writer

Spain

Nenad Popović

Writer and translator. PEN Croatia

Croatia

Carles Torner

PEN International Vice President

Catalonia, Spain

Froukje Santing

Writer. PEN Netherlands, vice president of the board

The Netherlands

Jørgen Frydnes

PEN Norway, director

Norway

Faruk Šehić

Writer

Bosnia and Herzegovina

PEN Flanders Belgium

Belgium

Dave Eggers

Author

USA

Wolfgang Martin Roth

Mag.

Austria

Brendan de Caires

PEN Canada, executive director

Canada

Neven Šantić

Journalist, writer

Croatia

Therese Kieran 

Irish PEN, member

Ireland

Marijan Grakalić

Writer

Croatia

Kätlin Kaldmaa

Writer

Estonia

Christian Marti-Menzel

Translator

Spain

Shauna Gilligan

Irish PEN

Ireland

Maja Drnda

Linguist

Spain

Jose Anibal Campos

Translator

Cuba / Spain / Austria

Ma Thida

Writer in Prison committee, chair. PEN International

Myanmar

Catherine Dunne

Writer. Irish PEN/PEN na hEireann, Chair

Ireland

Elina Hirvonen

Author, filmmaker

Finland

Anne Vial

Anne VIal Literary Scouting /M.Phil.

Spain

Stefan Todorović

Professor, Faculty of Montenegrin Language and Literature – Cetinje

Montenegro

Selma Raljević 

Professor of Literature, Džemal Bijedić University of Mostar 

Bosnia and Herzegovina 

Alexandre Tripkovic

theater director

France

Lia Mills

Writer, Irish PEN

Ireland

Edi Matić

Writer

Croatia

Almir Alić

Writer, PEN Center in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Patrick Hamouz

JÁDU magazine

Czech Republic

Oleksandra Rekut

University of Florence, University of Turin

Italy

Dénis van Vliet

Platform Raam, journalist

The Netherlands

Jan Molina

Eidos. A Journal for Philosophy of Culture

Poland 

Orysya Bila

Head of Philosophy Department Ukraine Catholic University, Lviv

Ukraine

Wabke Waaijer

Interpreter, Slavicist

The Netherlands

Balázs Trencsényi 

Central European University

Hungary

Marie Mendras

Sciences Po Paris

France 

Manuel Boschiero

University of Verona

Italy 

Otto Boele

Senior lecturer Department of Russian studies. University of Leiden.

The Netherlands

Micha Kemper

University of Amsterdam

The Netherlands

Egbert Fortuin

Professor Russian language and literature, University of Leiden

The Netherlands

Chris Colijn

Journalist Platform Raam

The Netherlands

Jelle Baartmans

Platform Raam

The Netherlands

Bram van Ojik

Former member of parliament Groen-Links

The Netherlands

Menno Hurenkamp

Professor Democracy & citizenship, University for Humanistic Studies, Utrecht

The Netherlands

Daan de Vries

Journalist, De Volkskrant 

The Netherlands

Snejana Tempest

UCL

UK

Przemysław Bursztyka

Faculty of Philosophy, University of Warsaw

Poland

Anya Neistat

Legal director, The Docket

France 

Ieva Lešinska-Geibere

Translator, editor, author

Latvia

Tommy Wieringa

Writer

The Netherlands

Tatiana Smorodina

University of Konstanz, PhD Student

Germany

Graham Parkes

University of Vienna

Austria

Robert van Vooren

Chief Executive Federation Global on Psychiatry; professor of Soviet and post-Soviet studies, Vytautas Magnus University 

Lithuania

Sylvia Borren

G&I International; former director Oxfam Novib and Greenpeace Nederland

The Netherlands

Anda Rožukalne

Rīga Stradiņš University 

Latvia

Massimo Tria

University of Cagliari

Italy

Lo Casteleijn

Member Dutch Helsinki Committee

The Netherlands

Laura Starink

Journalist, writer

The Netherlands

Uilleam Blacker

Associate Professor in Ukrainian and East European Culture, University College London

UK

Andrea Frangioni

Historian

Italy

Romaniia Gorbach

JADU magazine

Ukraine

Seth Graham

University College London

UK

Ricardo San Vicente

Professor, translator 

Spain

Ariel Rosé

Poet

Norway / Poland

Henri de Bresson

Author

France

Katrīna Rudzīte

Poet, president of PEN Latvia

Latvia

Anna Auziņa

Poet, board member of PEN Latvia

Latvia

Ivars Šteinbergs 

Poet, board member of PEN Latvia

Latvia 

Džena Andersone

Writer, board member of PEN Latvia

Latvia

Natalia Panczenko

Social activist, human rights defender

Poland

Māra Poļakova

Translator

Latvia

Cécile Wajsbrot

Writer

France

Josip Zanki

University of Zagreb, Academy of Fine Arts

Croatia

Eric van der Burg

Member of Parliament (VVD, liberal party)

The Netherlands

Ties Huis in ‘t Veldt

PvdA (social-democratic party)

The Netherlands

Jonathan Lahey Dronsfield

Philosopher, artist

UK

Yaroslav Hrytsak

professor of history, Ukrainian Catholic University

Ukraine

Hidde Bouwmeester 

University of Amsterdam

The Netherlands

Zakhar Protsiuk

The Kyiv Independent

Ukraine