俄罗斯总统普京表示，俄罗斯已为与欧洲的战争做好准备，但并不想要战争 ，即1932至1933年在斯大林统治下发生的、导致数百万乌克兰人饿死的人为饥荒种族灭绝。
Russia is prepared for war with Europe but does not want one, Vladimir Putin has said Credit Getty Images Europe SIR – Every November, Ukrainians worldwide place a candle in their window to commemorate the Holodomor, the man-made famine-genocide of 1932-33 in which millions of Ukrainians starved to death under Stalin’s regime.
从俄罗斯占领的乌克兰南部地区（包括奥列什基）传出的报道同样令人不安（“休战之下，乌克兰人逃离奥列什基与亲人团聚，泪洒当场”，报道，11月1日）。居民描述称面临严重的食品和基本物资短缺，有人称他们靠极少量的大米和采集草根野菜度日，这呼应了记者加雷斯·琼斯等人在“大饥荒”期间报道的情况。
Reports emerging from Russian-occupied parts of southern Ukraine, including Oleshky, are equally disturbing (“Tears of relief as Ukrainians flee Oleshky under truce to be reunited”, report, November 1 ). Residents have described severe shortages of food and essential supplies, with some saying they survived on tiny portions of rice and by foraging for grass and wild plants, echoing conditions reported during the Holodomor by journalists such as Gareth Jones.
尽管当下的境况与“大饥荒”时期有所不同，但平民在被占领的乌克兰领土上再次面临饥饿的消息不可能被忽视。斯大林利用剥夺和恐怖手段削弱乌克兰、镇压任何抵抗。普京的入侵给大规模带来了流离失所、毁灭和苦难。
While the circumstances today differ from those of the Holodomor, the news of civilians again facing hunger in occupied Ukrainian territory is impossible to ignore. Stalin used deprivation and terror to weaken Ukraine and crush any resistance. Vladimir Putin’s invasion has brought displacement, destruction and suffering on a vast scale.
奥列什基的状况引发了一个问题：克里姆林宫是否仍将平民的苦难视为一种可接受的控制手段。那里的民众理应得到我们的关注和支持。安娜·德济克英国乌克兰人协会副主席米德尔塞克斯平纳先生 —— 政府在乌克兰问题上的言辞与其拒绝承担必要的国防开支之间，存在巨大鸿沟。
The conditions in Oleshky raise questions about whether the Kremlin continues to view civilian hardship as an acceptable instrument of control. The people there deserve our attention and support. Anna Dezyk Deputy chair, Association of Ukrainians in Great Britain Pinner, Middlesex SIR – There is a yawning gap between the Government’s rhetoric on Ukraine and its refusal to commit the necessary funds to defence.
俄罗斯有约70万军事人员卷入乌克兰战争。有什么理智的人会认为，战争结束后，普京会悄悄解散这支部队？他明确表示过希望恢复俄罗斯在东欧的影响力，特别是在波罗的海小国。因普京的误判而引发与俄罗斯意外战争的可能性显而易见。
Russia has some 700,000 military personnel involved in the Ukraine war. Does any sane person think that, when the war ends, Vladimir Putin will quietly disband this force? He is on record as wishing to restore Russian influence in Eastern Europe, particularly in the small Baltic states. The possibility of an accidental war with Russia, as a result of Putin’s miscalculation, is clear.
此外，还应考虑到这样一个事实：美国——至少在唐纳德·特朗普领导下——正证明自己是一个不可靠的盟友，而同情普京的“德国选择党”已获得显著的政治进展。而且，即便不爆发全面战争，俄罗斯也可能通过切断海底电缆、对我们的基础设施和私营企业发动网络攻击，给我们的经济和生活水平造成巨大损害。
To this we should add the evidence that America, at least under Donald Trump, is proving an unreliable ally, as well as the fact that Alternative for Germany, which is sympathetic to Putin, has gained substantial political ground. Moreover, short of all-out war, Russia could inflict immense damage to our economy and living standards by cutting undersea cables and launching cyber attacks on our infrastructure and private companies.
英勇的乌克兰军队和民众正以鲜血为代价，为我们争取应对这些威胁的时间。只有大幅强化我们的防御，才能阻止普京进一步冒险。在时间如此紧迫的情况下，先是基尔·斯塔默爵士，现在又是安迪·伯纳姆，在这个问题上的犹豫不决，无疑是对他们对国家职责的严重渎职。丹尼斯·普罗瑟罗 肯特郡布罗姆利
The valiant Ukrainian military and civil population are paying with their blood to give us time to meet these threats. Only by massively strengthening our defences will we deter Putin from further adventures. The dithering on this issue, when time is so short, first by Sir Keir Starmer and now Andy Burnham, is an undeniable dereliction of their duty to our nation. Denis Protheroe Bromley, Kent