We’ve read just about every comment on social media, and on this website regarding ham radio and the war in Ukraine. Comments about politics, contesting, broken friendships, hate/love/hope/peace etc. You name it we’ve read it, and continue to.
Therein, however, still lies two points which have not been addressed or discussed in our view:
1/ When we read “Keep Politics of Ham Radio” are people seriously suggesting Putin’s deadly war in Ukraine is political? A bloody war is not political, right?
2/ We are still perplexed why, to our eyes, apparently NOT ONE Russian radio amateur has come out and condemned this war. Not one that we know of. We don’t know if that’s because they are being fed different propaganda to the West, or simply they are afraid to speak out, or perhaps it’s a case they do agree with Putin’s war? We don’t know because nobody from Russia is commenting too much.
Ultimately, world perception on many fronts has changed in the last few weeks and Ham Radio has been swept along with it.
Yours in peace,
DX-World.
To IV3TAN:
Don’t trust the russian propaganda. This is complete lie
Per definition “political” means all cases and forms, where the public is involved. So is this war. Slava Ukraini! DH1NBE
It is very convenient to talk about what Russian radio amateurs can or cannot do when you are in the comfort of your own
home. I invite any defenders of the statement “Radio amateurs out of politics” to my home in Kyiv. We will sit together and
listen to Russian bombs and rockets falling all around. After that, we will go outside to the city. And you will see the
ruined Kyiv! You will see dead women, children and old people! You will see the faces of children and women who are hiding
in bomb shelters.
There is a war going on in Ukraine. Russian troops are destroying our homes, our cities. Russian troops are killing our
people, innocent women, children, and the elderly. Russian troops are killing our servicemen who are defending their native
land from invaders. Who kills the Ukrainians? We are being killed by Putin, Russian generals, Russian officers and soldiers.
Who chose Putin as president? The Russian people chose him. Generals, officers and soldiers are all Russian people.
New sanctions against Russia. Solutions CQ Communications, Inc. and the RSGB decision in relation to Russian radio
amateurs. All this is done so that the Russian people wake up and think about what they are doing.
The notion that radio amateurs are out of politics is not viable. The problems will not disappear if we RADIO AMATEURS
put our heads in the sand.
All people on Earth, including Russians, and all radio amateurs, including Russian radio amateurs, must say – NO TO WAR!
NO TO MURDERS IN UKRAINE!
I use the term “demand” generally and not specifically in respect to DXWorld.
For instance, I read Daniil Medvedev is being asked to denounce Vladamir Putin as a condition of his entry into Wimbledon. So it is not a big leap that the “cancel crew” may adopt this requirement here in the Amateur Radio world.
Maybe Russian hams will be required to sign a statement of denouncement before entering contests, Award programs, registering their address at QRZ or buying certain ham radio related products.
To VK4MA
Just one thing to your lengthy reply: We didn’t “demand” anything.
Col @ DX-World
Of course this and just about every other war fought in the last 100 years is political.
Of course we critics of the new ham cancellation culture are now engaged in political discourse. But we do this reluctantly and only in response to the provocative actions taken by the cancellation crew in our hobby. If these cancellations had not occurred you would not have a heard a word from us in ham radio circles regarding the Ukraine conflict.
Who are you to demand that Russian hams condemn this war? Where is / was your condemnation of:
The US led invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan
The Saudi, UAE and Iran involvement in Yemen
The conflict in eastern Ukraine that has been ongoing for at least 8 years in which thousands had been killed before this latest Ukraine conflict even began.
My requirement of any one seeking a condemnation from Russian hams is that they post their full name, callsign and nationality here first and I can provide them with a list of their country’s crimes for which they must first apologise and condemn. If you think you or your country is an innocent – just try me. I assure you – there are very very few innocents in the world of international or national politics over the last 100, 50 or even last 10 years.
Paul – vk4ma
Try that for an idea what Russians read
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0WB4r6PgCA
What a great hypocrisy. Where were the ones protesting today when Americans were killing hundreds of thousands of civilians in Iraq with bogus evidence?
Where are they in the while right now Saudi Arabia, supported by the US, are bombing Yemen?
Where are they when US bombed Belgrade, killing thousands of civilians BEFORE there was a UN mandate?
I can continue with many other cases where Americans were involved in aggressions around the world but the politicians and media were looking in other directions.
Yes. Putin invaded the Ukraine. This is a truly criminal action and he must be prosecute. But what is the difference with the criminal action when Ukrainians troops were killing thousands of civilians in Donbass? In that case no one was interested.
In all those occasions Amateur Radio operators remained a wonderful community. Ham radio ops always broke all boundaries.
But now the great hypocrisy from the RSGB and CQ Magazine, introduced a devastating example where politic, yes politic, has been heavily involved in our activity, in an hobby that for a Century it has united peoples, races and diversities of all kinds.
Yes, I mean this. We can’t expect them to take these risks just to please us, in Russia there is no democracy and police officers really do beat up…don’t they?
The amount of commenters lamenting the involvement of “politics” in ham radio is amazing, considering how many of them present their arguments in a strictly political manner, ranging from the “cancel culture” and “woke” right wing talking points to straight out parroting Kremlin propaganda about the NATO expansion and run-of-the-mill whataboutism.
Go ahead, hide behind the “ham radio spirit” while yet another European genocide attempt is taking place, under the threat of a global nuclear war.
Some of you would gladly work an Auschwitz special event station in 1943 if you could, all in the name of ham spirit. Disgusting.
They obviously only can do it directly to VK4DX.
To IZ2ACF:
You mean Russian hams can’t even “hide” behind different IP addresses or firewalls and at least leave a comment of condemnation, even anonymously?
1/No, every war is commanded by politics and politicians.
2/Russian Hams can’t talk about politics and war or they will be arrested, to protest in our countries is less dangerous.
Dear editor and fellow readers. I believe you will find that he situation in Russia today is not much different to that of the USSR days. You speak publicly against the establishment, you end up … who knows where.
I am sure that there are all kinds of people in Russia, just like in our lands, who support, who disapprove, who resist and who couldn’t care less. But one thing is sure, the public voice of dissent is severely punishable in Russia and can get you behind the bars for up to 15 years, or even worse.
I am very outspoken against alienating and isolating our fellow hams in Russia and Belarus in quite few online communities. Almost never has a Russian or Belarus ham responded to my posts or those of other posters, but I have received a large number of direct emails from the UA and EW hams, thanking me for the support, with most of them saying how embarrassed they are, how frightened they are and how they can do nothing to stop this madness.