We propose the initiation of a well-organized strategic peace-building communications effort. The core concept: Millions of Ukrainian and European women “Citizen Peace Ambassadors” will be asked to engage in sustained one-on-one videophone, social media, and telephone conversations with Russian women, inviting and encouraging their Russian peers to build an all-women peace movement in Russia.

The details outlined in the following concept are offered as an initial basis for further discussion.

1 – Concept

Women from Ukraine and other regions of Europe contact their relatives, friends, and peers in Russia via social media, phone, or other means – initiating sustained one-to-one peace-building dialogues exclusively with other women. They will ask their Russian peers to organize, within Russia, peace vigils requesting an immediate armistice, and calling for a negotiated permanent end to the conflict.

PeaceQuest will organize consensus-building Citizens Peace Talks amongst respected women who will together develop, quickly and with urgency, a consensus document proposing the key points of a Ukraine-Russia Peace Agreement, which will be widely promoted for endorsement as a sensible basis for a lasting peace that respects the fundamental interests of all sides.

2 – Motivation

To humanize the conflict, make it real rather than abstract. To bring to bear the power of women’s protective and life-sustaining role, and women’s role as society’s ultimate empathetic conscience. To gather in solidarity to remind men – whether they are politicians, soldiers, or ordinary civilians – that every person is a mother’s child, and that killing a mother’s child is an act of horror and tragedy.

3 – Actions

• All participating women will be offered peace-building communications training
• After taking this training, they will be asked to repeatedly call and speak to Russian women peers
• The women will use these calls to provide accurate information and to humanize the conflict
• Ukrainian and European women must ask Russian women to gather at least twice a week in peace vigils demanding an end to the war against their relatives in Ukraine
• Once the Citizen Peace Talks organized by PeaceQuest e.V. have produced a consensus Ukraine Peace Agreement proposal, Ukrainian and European women will ask their Russian peers to support it and to disseminate it through every available channel within Russia.

To succeed, a peace movement must be well-organized and specific in its aims and methods. The women must gather in great numbers. There is safety in numbers.

We propose specific options for Peace Vigils within Russia:

• Peace vigils on Wednesdays in front of the town hall (or Mayor’s offices) from 4 pm going until half an hour before sundown, in each town in Russia
• Peace vigils at Russian churches and cathedrals, on Sundays starting 10 AM going until 2 pm

The gatherings should be EXCLUSIVELY FEMALE. Police enforcers will likely be more restrained if no men are present.

4 – Possible messaging elements

Please see our full strategy paper (on our website) for a set of proposed messaging elements.

5 – Calls to Action

• Ask Russian women to press their husbands, male relatives and friends to support making peace
• Ask Russian women to regularly go to peaceful all-female peace vigils in Russia twice a week
• Ask Russian women to endorse, disseminate, and promote a consensus RU-UKR Peace Agreement

The war is very expensive to Russia’s economy, and harms Russians’ freedom to travel in the world.

Crushing sanctions will economically make it dependent largely on an increasingly powerful China.

Russia’s ability to pay pensions and wages on time and citizens’ purchasing power are being increasingly impaired due to this conflict. Poverty is worsening for millions of Russians and their relatives in Ukraine.

6 – Parameters to be fulfilled for implementation

• Communication access of Ukrainian women to their Russian relatives – technological solutions
• Technological strategies for circumvention of possible blocking of communication channels by the Russian state
• Supply of a communications kit and constructive communications training
• Dissemination strategy for this Call to Action, to identify and recruit Russian-speaking women in Europe and Ukraine who have relatives and friends in Russia to serve as volunteer Citizen Peace Ambassadors
• Organizational support to Citizen Peace Ambassadors
• Resource supply: IT skills, funding, political patronage, European institutional support

• PeaceQuest’s initial outreach to network contacts have reacted favorably – now women need to recruit women in a network-building outreach effort to gather in number to execute this initiative.

PeaceQuest organizers reached out to the Ukrainian Government who reacted favorably to this initiative.

Europe is invited to give its maximum support to this project, at all levels of government, business, and civil society. There is much to be done, and much that can be contributed by all sectors.

To join and contribute, please get in touch: