Lithuania launches new campaign against war in Ukraine: “I am not Sakharov but…”

VILNIUS – The Andrei Sakharov Research Center for Democratic Development at Lithuania’s Vytautas Magnus University in Kaunas has launched a communication campaign “I am not Sakharov but…” against the war in Ukraine.

The aim of the campaign is to raise public awareness of the importance of human rights during the war and to remind of the values advocated by Andrei Sakharov, prominent Russian dissident and Nobel Peace Prize winner.

Vytautas Landsbergis, Lithuania’s first post-independence leader, has become the face of the campaign.

According to Landsbergis, it would be great if as many people as possible remember the prominent Russian dissident and his works.

Landsbergis claimed to be absolutely certain that Sakharov would protest against Russia’s war in Ukraine if he lived today.

“I have no doubts that he would go to the Red Square or to another highly visible site and would protest against the war, against the attack against Ukraine. There is absolutely no doubt,” a press release from the university quoted Landsbergis as saying.

Tomas Vytautas Raskevicius, chairman of the parliamentary Committee on Human Rights, TV presenter Beata Nicholson, musicians Erica Jennings and Gabrielius Liaudanskas-Svaras have also joined the campaign.

Andrei Sakharov (1921–1989) was a Soviet nuclear physicist, dissident, Nobel laureate, and activist for disarmament, peace and human rights.