Following text has been translated from the Union of Radio Amateurs of Russia website:
Dear colleagues!
On behalf of Russian radio amateurs, we appeal to all radio amateurs in the world and their leaders – heads of national organizations.
Since its formation in 1992, the Russian Amateur Radio Union has consistently adhered to the national legislation in the field of communications, the principles of ham spirit, and since joining the IARU in 1994, the IARU Constitution.
Over the past decades, the world has experienced a series of military conflicts involving the United States, NATO and their allies in Yugoslavia, Iraq, Libya, Afghanistan and a number of other countries. And never, no matter which side the Russian state is on in this or that conflict, the Union of Radio Amateurs of Russia did not allow itself any unfriendly steps towards radio amateurs and amateur radio organizations of the countries participating in the conflicts.
And now we expect from radio amateurs and national amateur radio organizations the same responsible approach that they themselves have taken during these three decades.
Each of us off the air can give his own assessment of what is currently happening in Ukraine, but today we can and must demonstrate to the public that radio amateurs are a community of people who treat each other with respect, regardless of political beliefs, religion and nationality. The amateur radio service promotes mutual communication and friendship between people, IARU is out of politics. This is what the IARU leadership emphasizes in their appeal dated February 28, 2022.
World history, including the history of amateur radio, knows many examples when unfriendly steps, various boycotts only aggravated conflicts. At the same time, it was radio amateurs who many times came to the aid of victims of disasters and emergencies, providing communication, and thereby saving people’s lives.
In connection with the events in Ukraine, the Russian Amateur Radio Union invites radio amateurs and amateur radio organizations – members of the IARU to remain true to amateur radio traditions: to refrain from rash emotional acts using Amateur Radio in any of its manifestations for this, not to lose contact with each other, to show wisdom and mutual respect and thereby contribute to the speedy settlement of the situation.
Union of Radio Amateurs of Russia.
Peace in our time is over for our children and us. Millions of people have been displaced from their homes. Thousands of people have been killed.
Wishing 73s and passing other pleasantries with Russian operators does not feel like the correct thing to do right now.
I think that this is not about Politics. This is about dignity.
According to recent polls, 80% of Russians support Putin’s policies.
And Putin’s policy today is aggression in Ukraine and terror in neighboring states.
Thus, Russian radio amateurs are deceitful when they ask us to consider that “they are out of politics.”
I have no issue with Russian Amateur Operators. I have issues with Putin and the type of war crimes he is sponsoring. One difference you might note is that I can disagree with US Policy publicly with no reprisal. I doubt that Russian Amateur Operators can say the same if they make too much noise. I wish only peace for all. May your families be safe in these precarious times.
To all of those bad talking the Russian people or its leaders should remember that the West of Ukraine has been killing the citizens of its own Eastern portion for the past eight years and that the US/NATO has overthrown the Ukraines Presidents that were voted in by their own people only to have a pro-Western leader.
It makes me sad that the very people who actually HAVE another source of information, -radio- other than the American mainstream media, choose to believe the worst form of propaganda on this planet.
Ham Radio is one of the few channels remaining for the World to communicate to Russian people the horrors that their leader has chosen to inflict on a sovereign state. There is no free press in Russia. Amateur radio remains an open News channel to the World.
Absolutely wrong. Russia’s actions in Ukraine are not apples to apples to other world conflicts as the Russian Radio Federations would like to assert. No, Russia is committing genocide, verifiable war crimes and intimating that they could easily use nuclear weapons on their neighbors and the world.
So Putin’s foul hand has take the helm everywhere in Russia. Even Amateur Radio.
So no to this inane load of crap.
Amateur radio should unite, not divide. It’s not our war. That is the War of arrogant politicians, rulers and the gun lobby.
I for one at not going to talk to Russian stations. This war is killing children, women and elderly people. These hams voted for Putin.
Work them RP77 stations and express your dismay as I do. After the report I send: “pse stop ur war”. I work every RP77 station I can get hold of, so far approx. 170.
I am reading and watching a lot of media from all sides, British, US, Canadian, Australian, German, Dutch, Belgian, French, Russian, Ukrainian, I even keep an eye on Chinese, Japanese and Korean when in English. The amount of propaganda is astonishing and every little piece of the news is interpreted in various, quite often polar-opposite way. One thing that strikes me how far has the UK and US propaganda gone, they make anything that Russians, or even the former Soviet propaganda could ever serve. Western EU is just as bad as Russian and Chinese, but the UK and US propaganda is just another level.
G7CH*, everything in your post is precisely on the BBC/CNN/NBC level. Nobody here believes a genocide is justified, but I genuinely believe you even know what a genocide is. Just because Biden is running out of things to say, we don’t need to blindly follow the rhetoric, maybe some sane research would be helpful. You also refer to Putin as our leader and that I/we accept what he says, not sure where you got that idea from.
You have two right figures there, though, 80% and 20%. The thing is – 80% of what’s really happening today is not known, only 20% hits media. Out of what you see, about 80% are lies and 20% is potentially truth. So what you and I and they believe is truth, it’s only 20% of 20%. We believe in something having only 4% of the right information.
We all need to chill and stay away from that crap, on all sides, think and not blindly follow. Your post shows that we are no better than our Russian counterpart everyday citizens when it comes to the consumption of propaganda. Just like you firmly believe our propaganda, the Russians firmly believe their propaganda. Not because they/we want to believe it, it’s because it is the only thing we know of. It just IS so (we all think).
There is always something super-bad that we can pin on another side, and this is why we want to distance ourselves from it and enjoy our beautiful hobby. Amater radio is a safe heaven and it should remain like that. Just enjoy life and don’t worry about things that you have no control of. Have a QSO with the UA guy, he’s at home, feeling scared, miserable and anxious about it all, just like many of us.
73 and happy Easter. Martin.
Martin, Guy, and anyone who thinks Genocide is justifiable and thinks playing radio is acceptable no matter what you believe read on. Your LEADER has said this is what russia wants, that includes you and other russians, that this is your need. A line was crossed, russians should not expect to chat away as if nothing has happened or that the spirit of radio stands above poisonings, lies and Genocide.
If Putin wants the old Soviet Union, you should have it, accept the Iron Curtain. Putin does not want communications with the west.
The Soviet Union did their very best to block radio broadcasts. Have it back as your president wants. russians should not complain especially if they agree with the mass bombing of residential areas, targeting of hospitals and shelters. Either the russian military are idiots with targeting or they did it deliberately, which one is it ?
US and EU forces have been involved in conflicts to save the innocent civilians against tyrants, dictators, mass murderers, those who have killed anyone that disagrees with them.
Putin has authorised the poisoning and shootings of opposition members and even ex Russians living in the UK. It is simple, russia just say it wasn’t them, sounds like lies to the rest of the world.
Putin lied, very clearly, only exercises.
russia, unless you disagree, have said they felt threatened by Ukraine so flattened it. russia has threatened nuclear consequences, we all feel threatened, so what should the world do ? Bomb Russia ? I’m sure you would disagree !
russia lost an oil refinery so complained and blamed Ukraine, sounds like a bully don’t like it when someone fights back.
Your leaders and envoys say everything is staged by Ukraine, why would Ukraine spend 80% of their munitions bombing and shooting most of their own population, and 20% on russians ? Either russian representatives are scared of Putin, Lying, or incompetent, which one is it ? Wake up. Just remember the facts, Putin lied about invasion, lied about poisonings, lied about targeting and killing civilians, lied about agreements with Ukraine regards removing nuclear weapons and peace in 2014.
Maybe we should consider, “not all liars are russians, but all russians are liars” ?
And yes, the lower case R is intentional.
Dear friends, I support your words and our community and I am sorry of the discrimination that some country associations are doing. As sign of solidarity I will not participate in the contests that ban the participation of Russian and Belarus hamateurs. Let’s work for peace and not for division, I am close to all the suffering people of the world. 73 de IK5TBK
Agree, Guy. What is new is that the US empire is crumbling and they will do anything and destroy anything to preserve their way.
They are crumbling, particularly the fiat US Dollar, while Russia and China are rising. The world had enough of the US hegemony, blackmailing, intimidation and daylight robbery. The US is aware of this and they are doing everything they can to bring Russia to its knees. The Russia on the other hand is sick and tired of US encroaching and their “sanctioning” while in full control of all world institutions though their fiat currency. Russians and Chinese are on the quest to end all of that and rightly so.
For the US the only way to deal with it is a massive war, so they are doing everything they can to fuel the Ukrainian war as much as they can, and hopefully for them to get Finland in to NATO and spread the war further.
The western Europe has been completely enslaved by the US, they have no idea what’s happening to them. The threat of war is doing strange things to people and the Americans know that. The core of their existence is to have “the enemy”. Not only the US is curbing Russia, they are also slaughtering the European economies and slowly devaluing the importance of Euro as a currency, but also causing huge rifts between Europeans. All this while fuelling the war in Ukraine where thousands of people are needlessly suffering and dying, both the Ukrainians and Russian Ukrainians.
While all of this is happening, the US military industry is selling trillions of dollars worth of weapons to anyone who they want, Germany alone just spent 100 Billion Euros for US weapons. They haven’t spent this much altogether since the end of WWII.
Europeans are as usually blind to see this and will suffer consequences for 2-3 generations. The prosper and democratic Europe is crumbling before our very eyes.
Now, why the ham radio? It’s simple, the US cancel culture is spreading like a cancer. First they have cancelled Russians in all sports through various sporting associations and IOC, that they are in full control of by ripping apart the basic rule of the olympic movement that all athletes should compete, no matter what. No-matter-what! But the US destroyed this 2000 year old rule, because it suits them.
The cancel culture is dangerous in itself, because if you don’t play by the rule of the powerful and wealthy, you will be destroyed and labelled pro Russian, so the organzations like RSGB und CQ Comms go with it. Once they do it, everyone else follows, otherwise they will be deemed pro Russian. Expect this to continue for some time. The end of ham spirit is in plain sight. I can hear daily “skirmishes” on the bands, not only with Russian hams, but others too. A European station works a Russian stations, the other are jumping right away and QRMing the European station even after the QSO – pretty much cancelling it.
The US is the cancer of the world, the land based and built on theft and crime is just continuing its quest and needs to be stopped, and we need to do our part in amater radio by ignoring their cancel-culture and stand for what we love.
While I feel sorry for the suffering of the Ukrainians, their suffering is caused by the Americans in its full.
I’m not able to put my callsign for the obvious reasons, read above, but I was born and lived all my life in one of the initial NATO member countries and this late in my life (I’m 77) I am deeply ashamed of my country, government and all people who support this.
73 and may the god give us all the peace.
the woke culture can bring hamradio ( which means hobby amateur radio ) to the same kind of swamp ,called cancel culture .
I am on HF since 1978, from time to time , every year showed regionals wars … we always been kept in touch via HF like : OD5, YA, all former yougoslavian republics and also former-North yemen (1990) Whats new now and why , many of you should read your hamassociation code and ITU code about what is banned for us …. politicals matters
HAMRADIO SHOULD UNITE TO SHOUT “STOP THIS SENSLESS WAR”. And THE FIRST CRY FROM ALL HAMRADIOS SHOULD GO NO OTHER THAN PUTIN. I SUGGEST THIS MESSAGE SHOULD BE ON AIR EVERY HOUR UNTIL THE WAR STOPS.
It is silly to believe that Russian hams are blameless in this war. Fully 77% of Russian voters voted for Putin in the last election, and roughly 60% still support the war a month and many lives later. The support figure is even higher among older voters, such as those that might be hams. To think that ham radio operators are not complicit in this war is convenient delusion. Russian ham radio operators have unfettered access to the outside world and should have a better understanding of the truth of this war, yet ham radio social media is full of Russian hams expressing their support for it. The letter from the RARU is completely disingenuous. Russia and its population, including every segment of it, has crossed a red line and a stand against it needs to be taken.
We can’t trust the Russian hams organisation (URRA) like we experienced Mr. PUTIN lying and telling us, that it was only a training campaign/ program the reasons having 100.000 soldiers near the Ukrainian border a month ago. Even trying to believe what URRA is telling they are controlled by the state. They would never risk loosing their license or a worth fate, 15 years in prison being critical to Mr Putin and Co’s war in Ukraine.
Actually one could have them suspected helping the army with communication. LOTS of cheap vhf/ uhf radio’s are seen as a part of the soldiers equipment. The red line has been crossed. Lots of warcrimes against civilians, demolishing systematically the infrastructure of Ukraine. Why don’t the Russian hams condemn these crimes? No we can’t separate amateur radio from politics, sorry to tell.
19 March 2022: (1) I really think we, in the Western democracies, should NOT be communicating with Russian stations at the present time, for THEIR safety. You are dealing with a totalitarian regime in which communication outside Russia, to all but a few countries regarded as ‘neutral’ (and my country, Australia, is NOT one of those) may be deemed a breach of national security from the Putin regime’s perspective. It puts those Russian hams and their families at risk.
(2) The line of reasonable exchange has been crossed. I cannot stay friendly to a power, or a people, which has graduated from targeting Ukrainian military facilities to the indiscriminate shelling of dwellings, hospitals, schools and kindergartens in Kharkiv, Mariupol, Chernihiv and Kherson. Children, old women and other innocents are being blown to bits. 6.5 MILLION people displaced within Ukraine, more than 3 MILLION further innocent people, largely women and children, refugees in neighbouring countries. Apartment blocks are reduced to smouldering ruins. Cities reduced to rubble. This is plainly in sight, far beyond any propaganda source, in the personal vlogs, the independent postings and reports of everyone from Ukrainian refugees through Al Jazeera and the BBC to even ham radio interceptions. You cannot turn a blind eye to this. It is not just Putin, it is an entire Russian system supported by disinformation (“Ukraine run by neo-nazis” piffle) and the wider Russian community. Please, no more talk of “poor folk trying to scrape out living”. I am disallowed by the rules to publish the many available, confirmed photos & videos of the mangled, incinerated bodies of Ukrainian innocents in response to comments like these. This whole Russian machine is, at this point, inhuman, it’s supporting unalloyed genocide, and ANY attempt to justify it, or to lessen the collective guilt of a nation that exalts the value of the collective, is subhuman.
My personal opinion: red line has been crossed. People in Ukraine are killed every minute. Children, women, pensioners, soldiers from both sides. Civilians are losing all their existences in one second, when bombs are replacing tens of safe homes to piles of ruins.
This is not politics at all.
What is the reason to not see such suffering caused by Russian army in foreign country? Or see, but not take care, because we are apolitical, because we are HAMs? Everybody has to do, what he can to stop this war. Including HAMs.
I’m from OM and we meet Ukrainians refugees daily. One of the first thing they do after beeing on safe place is to have 2 days of sleeping. We can see that suffer on our own eyes. It’s terrible what is happening there. It’s cynicism non-plus-ultra to say, that we (HAMs) are out of it. Are we still beings that feel something?
Real war has never been so close to us. War right behind our border line.
Respect to RSGB, one of the first, who found courage to say NO to it. What contrast to IARU.
I will not contact or accept contacts from Russian stations, for a long time. I just can’t help but thinking of all the senseless destruction, suffering and deaths Russia has brought to Ukraine for no reason at all and I just don’t feel like it. Stop now.
HAM radio is an amazing tool that allows distributing TRUTH to over-ride Russian state-controlled media. This situation is not like past events. Putin must be removed from office, and it must be done by Russian citizens. If that is not done, this situation is going to escalate, putting the lives of millions upon millions of people globally at risk. There is no gray area here – ethics require that I continue to use my HAM radio to spread TRUTH to the people of Russia and encourage them to grow spines and overthrow their government by any means necessary.
There is a bunch of you that are outraged about the Russian invasion and that’s to be expected. We all are. Russians should have never done that, but you need to be able to see through the rage and realise that nothing on this planet is black and white, and neither is this war. There is a huge element of the west pushing Ukraine into the Russian inferno. We are all outraged what Russia is doing, but we are also outraged for what the west has done to Ukraine to make them a sacrificial lamb for their own benefit of bringing Russia down.
Poor Ukrainians are stuck in the proxy war between the east and west and will suffer tremendously because of that. that is the saddest thing of all.
Now on to the radio. All of you who are condemning the Russian amateurs you need to remember a few things:
*** They are people just like you and me and have done nothing for this to happen. Our countries butchered Iraq and Afghanistan, but nobody has decided to exclude us from contests, QRZ.com and so on. RSGB didn’t cancel us, because it was their sons, nephews or neighbours who were bombing Iraq.
*** They are sitting at home, operating their radio and trying to find some peace, their country and their life is being screwed up by the west big time. They are not in Ukraine fighting the war for Putin, they are at home, talking to you.
*** They can do nothing with their radio to help in any way, the regime in Russia will lock them up in an instant for 15 years, so idea to talk to them about the war at all is just plain silly. Some of you have lived in the communist states in the second part of the last century and you know very well what that was like. it’s no better now in Russia.
When you post something against Russian amateurs, put yourself in their place. These are our friends, who happened to live in a country that has gone bonkers because of the regime they have. Most of them are men in their 60s or 70s, who have gone through so much in their life while living young in the USSR that they couldn’t give two hoots about Putin and his politics, they just want to have a QSO with you, another vodka and live their last days peacefully. They are not your enemies, they can’t help you, it is not their responsibility.
In the end, what are you doing is causing a huge damage to our hobby, look at those muppets from RSGB, they are complete and utter idiots, ruining what they have built all their life for a few brownie points. We built it together for 100 years, don’t be the generation that ruins it. After all, you may be the next. USA, UK and quite a few other western countries are often picking a fight with small nations, invade them and do the same things that Russia is doing. Do you want to be on the receiving end next time around, no? I thought so.
So, rise above it all, be a bigger person, keep the ham radio clean of war and politics and one day you will be proud of yourself.
If you want to support Ukraine – donate, volunteer, go there, plenty of things you can do, but don’t destroy this beautiful hobby.
Even the Russian troops were not told what their mission was. That is still true. They are not there to keep peace, nor are they they there to cleanse the country of Nazi’s. They are there to reclaim the country for putin. And, to destroy and murder to accomplish it. The population in Russia has been fed little about the war, and what they have beeb told is also puyin’s lies. To blame our fellow amateur radio operators in Russia for this horrifying invasion is to blame them for Putin’s actions. It is wrong. The radio amateurs in russia are innocent, uninformed of the truth, as are their mothers, fathers, children, and spouses. We must help them know the truth, and help them to curb this war. The population of Russia can do little to stop the war, we must help them have a chance to do it. We must help them to support the people they love, that are being killed by Putin’s war machine.
I am looking forward to you guys working any of the RP77 and EV77 stations commemorating the 77th anniversary of the Victory in WW II in May 2022. The “P” denotes the Russian word “Pobeda” which means “Victory” , “Win”, “Triumph”. Last year 750.649 QSOs have been made worldwide with about 150 such special call-signs used in “Hero Cities”, “Cities of Military Glory”, or “Cities of Labor Valor”. Thousands of Awards were issued. The Union of Radio Amateurs in Russia acts here in continuation of a long patriotic and also military tradition going back to the times of the Soviet Union. Since 1949 probably tons of QSL cards with an imprinted “Pobeda” on them have been distributed to Radio Amateurs all over the world.
It is the good right of the Union of Radio Amateurs in Russia to maintain this tradition by using the Amateur (!) Radio bands for their purposes, and all radio amateurs may feel invited and encouraged to work such stations, if they regard it as meaningful for them.
I am convinced that the Union of Radio Amateurs in Russia does not regard these massive annual activities with more than 150 special stations working 24/7 on all Amateur Radio bands as anything connected to “politics” or as demonstration of national strength and power, but as well-meaning signs of international friendship and peace between individuals.
However, the Amateur Radio history of the United States of America or the United Kingdom looks a bit different.
No politics on thee Amateur Radio bands, yes. It is a wonderful platform for living individual international friendship, and we don’t want to destroy it. So, this principle should be observed honestly and in every aspect.
With the first RP77 “Victory” station showing up on the Amateur Radio bands I will observe more than a minute’s silence for a by then completely destruced Ukraine.
73
Norbert Maibaum
I share 100% the comment of Zoran – YU2VZ, I was 15 in 1999, Serbia I far from my land but I was very shocked and sorrowful for bombing in Serbia by western country. What ipocrisy!
Elderly om told my always to don’t speak of politics in radio!
qrz founder in April 2021 wrote that avatar with some flag are not allowed for avoids politics message (i.e. Confederate flag) but yesterday banned EW and RA account and in qrz logo put blue yellow flag; neutral ham spirit no longer exist in qrz.com
https://forums.qrz.com/index.php?threads/a-message-to-our-members-about-politics.758779/
executioner does not ask for mercy
Dear radio amateurs. I know you have a fantastic hobby. exiting, developing and bringing humans together in a society. You have also helped in many situations with information and bridge-building communication in difficult situations.
I am aware of that each of you have an obligation to hold all activities within lawfullness, and that your licences are bonded on that.
Europe is on attack, without going into more details of this most of us will describe as a war going on. Is bringing information or news political?
Most of you have the knowledge and transmitters of transmitting in the 40m 60m and 80 m band, wich wiith an antenna tuner, or a more aqqurate tuned antenna could transmit in the ordinary broadcast band on the 50 m band.
News are produced in different radio channels in most english language, as CNN and other 24/7 medias, and also BBC has started, or taken up again the transmissions to Russia on 5875 khz, also in russian language, to try to inform the russ population of what is goindg on. Porbably, these transmissions will be disturbed by authoritys, trying to jam them, as in the earlyer 50, 60 and 70tys.
It is not difficult to resend transmissions like these in another frequensies, several, making jamming difficult.
I do not think any of them would go further on regarding any Copyrights questions in these times. I can not see gouverment authorities go after transmissions like this either.
But, it is more impoirtant that this is done not organized by organisations or goverments.
Think about what you can do about it, and what you are wiling to do. You are probably one of a few people nowadays actually prepared to to somethning like this..
‘This is not a upnote to any organized action. Think abouot it, and what hou can and are willing to do. We all know this is a not-legal thing to do. A force-major act can be accepted, if not lawful, som humanitarian.
Shirtwave radios are availeble for citizens in east. The information is here in west, held away from many not knowing enough of what is going on.
Sombebody I know has put up old not any more used equippment in a remote place, started transmitting live CNN news 24/7. I do not think anyone will try take it down.
I only want each and every one of you to know this. Have a safe night and coming day.
united we stand, divided we fail
i am very sorry about all the failures and ignorances that have led to this unreasonable suffering
73
Sure you can. Keep it clean though!
Can I write a comment here, without being a radio amateur, and without being identified, but with an opinion to all radio amateurs?
The only Russian hams I would not knowingly communicate with while the horror is underway will be Putin, his cabinet, his general officers, and members of his Politburo, should any of them be hams. Regular Russian citizen-hams are fully welcome in my log now and forever.
73,
WK4LR
Man is unperfect, we know.
It is for this reason that we have to make out efforts lo look high.
Mankind has evolved with civilizaton and Radioamateurs are part of it.They are active part of civilization.From.the dawning of the radio,lthey look at the values of the man, indipendently on every political or racial difference.I still consider Russian OM my friends
URAR could not write more in their statement – only imperial narration is allow – from today every one will be prosecuted till 15 years preason for sharing info of Russian troops invaders and protesting. no matter a person or organisation. Lawrow says: this is only military operation to remowve nazizm from UR and our weapon reach only military objects because is very precision. Lies all the time.
No politic in ham radio – OK, but no genocide everywhere – we should protest!!!
Wes SP4Z
We will remember that you are radio amateurs when we take your weapons away …. now you are war criminals murderers of children ….. Sorry but that’s the truth …… You want to be respected and liked – don’t be fascists, and that’s how they see you now the whole world. If you are not fascists yourself, change the government in Russia. And let no one tell me about politics —— bombed hospital, kindergarten, school, murdered children are not politics !!
Beautifully written letter – agree with it 100%
Yet the RSGB read it and move straight to cancelling Russian ham friends from their forthcoming contest.
What next – will Russian hams be banned from participating in the RSGB controlled IOTA program?
The RSGB is supposed to represent the hams of the UK – do you feel your personal view re ham radio and our Russian friends is represented in their decision. If not, RSGB members should be contacting RSGB Head office and voicing their concerns.
Paul – vk4ma
No more manipulation by letter and postings comrade – Russian radio amateurs must tell their friends and neighbours what is really happening, otherwise they are just part of the disinformation system set up by the Russian Federation. Children are being murdered by Russians. These children will never know the fun of amateur radio.
The 24 hour protest on QRZ.COM is over. Russian calls are now available from its databases. Read what the site owner did.
I’m a moderator on QRZ; in the spirit of ham radio, the point made, it’s open to the world again.
Many stand united with the Ukraine, itself like the USA, not a perfect place. It is a US tradition to protest. That protest is now over.
We wish for peace in the ongoing conflict.
73 de Tom W9YW
I agree with those who will be boycotting Russian and Belarusian stations on the air. Ham radio is a government-sanctioned hobby promoting international friendship, peace, and goodwill for all mankind. This is not a simple political disagreement or opinion. Russia has gone to war without provocation and is murdering innocent civilians. Russia’s behavior is threatening to destabilize the entire hemisphere. At the very least, Russia with the help of Belarus has forced the entire Ukrainian peaceful amateur radio community to become silent. State-sponsored, international friendship and goodwill cannot exist in the atmosphere of an overtly belligerent government that murders its neighbors.
No apologies are offered if my opinion offends anyone. I am disgusted by Russia’s behavior. This is a hobby. If a free-thinking human being is unwilling to draw the line at pre-meditated murder, threats of nuclear war upon the western nations, and the violent annexation of a peaceful, sovereign nation’s lands by a superpower, I will not lose a moment of sleep worrying about it. I pray that none of us are willing to sell our souls for a contest point and a QSL card.
I have been a licensed amateur radio operator for 57 years. I hold a US Amateur Extra Class License AB0CV Amateur Radio has always been an apolitical hobby. There were times when we were unable to make contacts with Russian or Chinese hams but, thankfully, those times have passed. Russian Amateur Radio Operators did not start this conflict, nor is it their responsibility to speak out against it. I am appalled by the actions of QRZ.COM. Yes, I am also pappalled by the conflict in Ukraine. Consider this, in the US if you were to broadcast information or opinions regarding this conflict you could have your license revoked and be subject to possible monetary fines up to $250,000 and possible incarceration in prison.
No Politics on HAMRADIO ! Now i leave QRZ.com
What nonsense. We radio amateurs should act apolitically as it should be for hamspirit. The people don’t want this fucking war. On the other hand, the Russian people are misinformed or not properly informed at all. It remains to be seen what the bastard Putin intends to do next. He harms his people and not normal consumers.
Russians are killing Ukraine hams and the amateur community cannot remain silent. There is a difference between politics and genocide.
In 1999, 19 countries, led by the United States and NATO, attacked a sovereign European country. 19 on one. None of you condemned it then. Why didn’t you raise your voice then because of the attack on Yugoslavia and the killing of civilians, women, the elderly and children, but you kept silent. STOP more with hypocrisy. You should be ashameds. You are far from HAM spirits and amateur radio.
agree with Fred of QRZ.COM. No ruassan amateurs radio up to the end of this genocide. This is not only a war, it is a genocide of a people by a super power (or would be super power) governed by a new Hitler. His people accepting him and his war assume the same faults.
Invading a country and commiting war crimes is not “politics”. If politics are not supposed to be in Amateur Radio then WHY do they send a letter filled with politics???
Russia invaded a democratic country, it cannot be compared to any of the other examples they gave. When one accepts a lie, they become a part of the problem This includes ALL aspects of our lives including radio
They should take responsibility for what is being done in their name and communicate the truth in Russia.
“In connection with the EVENTS in Ukraine…” – how could anyone call it that way??? 🙁
[…] radio amateurs are a community of people who treat each other with respect, regardless of their political beliefs, religion and nationality. […]
Once we leave the radio, we’re not so great anymore and we can raid other countries!
Amen to that .. Ham Radio should have not have to be part of any world politics – as the Hobby we all enjoy is a big part of our Friendly adventures
we take with each transmission we make – always should be regardless- Meeting new friends from all points in the world ..
Pour moi ça continue comme avant je n’ai aucun une opinion là-dessus pour moi la radio reste de la radio je communique avec qui j’ai envie et c’est pas les politiciens qu’ils vont me dire ce que je dois faire
73+55 stephane
My friends in Russia on amateur radio will still be my friends tomorrow regardless of what politicians decide to do….. I have 8 callsigns on Qrz.Com from today they will be deleted.
Looking forward to the upcoming Russian contest on HF to show Russian hams that no all European hams are brainless idiots who believe and do what the media tell them.
They are 100% right! NO POLITICS in Hamradio!!!
No politics in HAM radio never never.
I wish the URAR had also mentionned Georgia, Tchetchenia, Armenia, Crimea, etc, in the list of interventions mentioned in their message. This would have demonstrated better the fact we, ham radio people, are not political, including the URAR… Selective memory ?
Politics has no place in hamradio. Lets keep that in mind. I disagree with QRZ.com unfair decision. Hamradio connects people and we should be smart enough to potect the roots of our hobby.
Until it is safe for the hams in Ukraine to be back on the air the Russian stations should be shunned.
No politic hamradio
100% correct. Amateur Radio plays no part in politics .. Over the last week or so I have seen so many Amateurs saying on social media they will never work Russia on Amateur Radio again, have seen real hateful comments towards amateurs online, and also people removing Russian amateurs from social media and web pages, , all because they live in Russia.. I will continue to keep my beliefs about the situation between Russia & the Ukraine off Amateur Radio, it is not the place to talk about it, and I will talk to anyone that calls me, no country is banned from my log book. 73, Stuie VK8NSB
I think their position is correct.