War. War never changes.
Truer words could not have been spoken on the topic, voiced by Ron Perlman in many of the Fallout video games—games that aim to reveal the real nature of a full-scale nuclear war.
It never changes as the end result is always the same—death, destruction, and everything in between.
But there is always hope, as there is more than one way to stop the worst from becoming even worse.
An initiative has popped up that aims to bypass many restrictions and limitations and call 40 million Russian numbers in hopes of informing the people of what’s really happening in the world.
An initiative called Call Russia has been launched in hopes of reaching 40 million Russian phone numbers with a message of truth and peace
Image credits: Just Click's With A Camera
Call Russia is a digital information campaign that was launched today, Tuesday, March 8th, 2022, that aims to personally connect Russian diaspora volunteers with up to 40 million phone numbers in Russia in a bid to help end the war in Ukraine.
"Censorship and the information blackout in Russia is becoming tighter every day. There is less and less possibility for Russian citizens living in the country to know what is really being done in Ukraine in their name. Real events happening in Ukraine are blurred by the fog of propaganda for the Russian population", elaborated the project's initiators in an interview with Bored Panda.
"We believe that Russians speaking to Russians directly is one of the only ways to share what is really happening in Ukraine and is a very important step in seeking to end the war and suffering. Russians in Russia have few sources of real, objective information, and #CallRussia aims to solve this problem."
The platform will generate phone numbers for Russian-speaking volunteers who will call Russian citizens and engage in non-confrontational dialogue
Image Credits: Call Russia
The Russian Federation has for quite a while now been mostly in charge of the information-scape among its people. And its control has been growing aggressively. If you’re in the loop of things, you might have heard of the independent Russian TV broadcaster Dozhd stopping its operation due to the recent law the Russian government passed that allows them to put anyone spreading ‘fake news’, a.k.a. info that doesn’t fit their agenda, in prison for up to 15 years. But this is just the tip of the iceberg.
In light of the sad informational situation that is developing in Russia, the Call Russia initiative was born, that aims to bypass Vladimir Putin’s propaganda and information blackouts by employing Russian diaspora volunteers around the world to get in touch with the Russian people directly and provide them with facts and information about the Russian President’s war on Ukraine.
Tech, ad, and communications professionals around the globe have compiled the campaign’s database of around 40 million Russian phone numbers and created a platform which will generate numbers and give non-confrontational guidelines to Russian-speaking volunteers that sign up for the project.
The aim of this campaign is to ultimately stop Russia's war against Ukraine by circumventing censorship and propaganda in Russia
Image Credits: Call Russia
Image Credits: Call Russia
"#CallRussia has one simple purpose—to connect Russian-speaking volunteers directly with Russians for peaceful conversations that provide verifiable facts about Vladimir Putin’s brutal and illegal assault on Ukraine," continued Call Russia founders.
"One conversation cannot overcome Putin’s evil propaganda, but 40 million might, and that is our goal. Russians empowered with truth and compassion are the only ones who can stand up against Putin’s lies and end this war."
"These conversations are incredibly difficult, considering the massive propaganda and authoritarian information blackouts Russians are subjected to, but direct conversations are the only way to spread the truth and end this war."
Image Credits: Call Russia
Image Credits: Call Russia
While the world is doing quite a lot to avoid any more bloodshed, all the while supporting Ukraine in its efforts in ensuring their freedom, it is also important to include the peace-loving people of Russia as well, empowering them to stand up against these atrocities and to forge a path of peace.
The campaign not only provides a platform to get in touch with Russians, but also gives guidelines on how to approach the issue. The conversation is based on mutual respect and understanding, so introducing yourself and being transparent about why you’re calling, sharing your concern and connection with the issue, avoiding verbal attacks at all costs, and most importantly, listening are some of the key points volunteers should keep in mind while on the call.
"These conversations are incredibly difficult [...] but direct conversations are the only way to spread the truth and end this war."
Image Credits: Call Russia
Image Credits: Call Russia
Image Credits: Call Russia
Image Credits: Call Russia
Because the campaign was launched today, there is no official statistic just yet, but according to Call Russia representatives, they are monitoring site usage and interactions (the calls made), and have plans to report the progress periodically.
Nobody said it’ll be easy, but the heart is in the right place with the goal being to stop senseless bloodshed happening in Ukraine. Reuters estimates that the war has already led to over 13,000 deaths since it started, with over 400 civilian and thousands of soldier deaths in just these past few weeks. On top of it all, it has displaced over 1.7 million people who fled to neighboring countries.
The site also provides clear guidelines on how to approach each phone call
Image Credits: Call Russia
Lastly, we've asked the people behind the Call Russia projects to share what more people ought to know about the current Russian-Ukrainian conflict, and they had this to say:
"The most important thing to understand is simple: Russia has launched an unprovoked attack on a neighboring country. Russia’s actions and attacks on civilians are causing suffering and displacement for millions of Ukrainians. Each one of us needs to do whatever we can to stop the suffering of innocent people."
"There are many ways to help the Ukrainian people at the moment. People who have suddenly become refugees need all kinds of support. Also those who stayed and are facing danger every day. For those who want to help, we encourage people to donate, volunteer, simply reach out to people who are suffering."
"Non-Russian speakers can also share our campaign to help us reach Russian speakers around the world to share the truth as widely as possible."
So, if you’re a Russian-speaker who would like to actively join the cause and help push away the tide of propaganda and censorship in Russia, sign up for Call Russia now. Or you can alternatively donate to refugee relief efforts in Lithuania here, or directly to Ukraine here.
And you can always share your thoughts and support in our comment section below!