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Amazon’s ambivalence is helping support for Russian forces and their proxies in Ukraine

last updated: 24/04/2020 – 18:29.

David Kirichenko. Euronews.

Opinions expressed in View articles are solely those of the authors.

In the summer of 2017, I visited family living near the war zone in the eastern half of Ukraine. I had last visited eastern Ukraine and Donetsk in 2009 as a teenager, but this time nothing was recognisable. The street signs had bullet holes, windows were shattered, apartments and even hospitals showed signs of damage from rocket fire. Some of my family members had not survived the violence that had occurred.

While Russia is waging an illegal invasion into Ukraine, Amazon is profiting from the symbols of that conflict, such as the banners that represent Russian proxy forces.

David Kirichenko Civic activist and editor

Since April 2014, more than 10,000 people have been killed in Ukraine, while another 1.5 million have been displaced and many are now refugees. The war between Russia and Ukraine may seem far removed for most Americans, and many are surprised to hear that the violence of the war still continues today. Yet, many of us unwittingly support it every time we buy products from the giant online retailer Amazon. While Russia is waging an illegal invasion into Ukraine, Amazon is profiting from the symbols of that conflict, such as the banners that represent Russian proxy forces. The retail platform allows third parties to sell merchandise featuring images that represent the so-called “Donetsk People’s Republic” (DPR). It is an interim regional government – established and funded by the Russian government – which is currently wreaking havoc in Eastern Ukraine.

The DPR banner is a variation of the Novorossiya banner, which was historically used during the Russian Empire (1721-1917) to symbolise a “New Russia” – the forced invasion and subjugation of Ukraine. During the Russian Empire, and later under Russia’s puppet republics, Russian troops marching under this banner brought unspeakable destruction and terror to Ukraine – which continues to this day.

Amazon’s official policy bans sellers from offering products that “promote or glorify hatred, violence, racial, sexual or religious intolerance or promote organisations with such views.” Despite this statement, products that promote the DPR are available for sale on the Amazon website today. Meanwhile, the DPR’s counterpart, the Luhansk People’s Republic, a nearby puppet Russian state, voted to imprison people convicted of being gay for two years and six months. The Republic’s head of international relations also mentioned that, “The perverts [gays] should be treated at psychiatric hospitals.” In the DNR, one of the Russian government’s militants tied a Ukrainian woman to a pole at gun point to humiliate her. The Embassy of Ukraine in the US has urged Amazon to remove products with DPR symbols for over a year without so much as a response from the company.

Ukrainians, like my family, are innocently caught in the middle of this war and struggling to keep their lives together. To them, the puppet republic flag symbolises oppression, terror, and death.

Ukrainians, like my family, are innocently caught in the middle of this war and struggling to keep their lives together. To them, the puppet republic flag symbolises oppression, terror, and death. Allowing products such as DPR stickers to be sold on Amazon is a tacit approval of the ongoing violent acts against the people of Ukraine. No person or company should profit from the victims of Russia’s war against Ukraine. If ISIS stickers, for instance, were available for purchase on Amazon’s platform, what actions would have been taken by now?

In the past, Amazon has responded to the selling of violence by banning associated products. Examples include Nazi-themed action figures and most recently, Amazon removed holiday ornaments bearing images of Auschwitz. So, why has Amazon still not taken down DPR merchandise over six months since it went on sale? By keeping these products up for sale, Amazon is supporting Russia’s war against innocent people, and it is promoting a dangerous, hateful group. Ukraine is also currently making a case in the International Court of Justice regarding Russia financing terrorism in Donbas as Russian militants were shelling civilian vehicles in Ukraine, attacking civilian neighbourhoods and killing innocent civilians.

Amazon needs to uphold its own policy against goods that glorify hatred and violence.

Whether the support is direct or indirect, Amazon needs to uphold its own policy against goods that glorify hatred and violence. Amazon has banned controversial merchandise before, but the question remains: why isn’t Amazon dedicating more resources to removing Russian-funded separatist propaganda products on their site?

We can’t expect to alter the course of geopolitical events as individuals. However, we can stand up together and demand justice; that includes the platform that allows the promotion of hateful symbols that celebrate the grave injustices committed against our fellow man.

David Kirichenko is a Ukrainian-American civic activist and an editor for the Euromaidan Press.

21 comments

  1. ‘Ukrainians, like my family, are innocently caught in the middle of this war and struggling to keep their lives together. To them, the puppet republic flag symbolises oppression, terror, and death.’
    Very eloquently put by this excellent writer.
    Amazon boss, Jeff Bezos, likes to give millions to illegal immigrants in America. So he’s obviously showing the same policy toward putler’s invader scum. Boycott his company.

    Reply

      • Amazon.
        The WP is very pro-Ukraine. Fox on the other hand has not one, not two, but three filthy hard line putlerite vermin as star presenters. Boycott them until those cunts are sacked.

        Reply

          • It has great writers such as Anne Applebaum and Gary Kasparov, so you can trust it totally. It is one of the very few (probably the only) national papers in the US that supports Ukraine. I do not know of even one ‘brand name’ news outlet in America that unequivocally supports Ukraine (and Georgia too). Do you?
            I can name a huge number of putler-friendly outlets though. Most of them support Trump and not coincidentally also do their best to trash Ukraine.

            Reply

            • I’ve been reading the news about Russia for almost 2 decades in the USA and it is extremely rare to hear any American say something positive about Russia. Period.

              Reply

              • If you insert the word ‘Ukraine’ into that comment instead of the word ‘Russia’, you have it right.
                All the trump supporting news outlets are EXTREMELY putler friendly and do their best to rubbish Ukraine. Here are just a few : Fox, Infowars, Michael Savage, Breitbart, Gateway Pundit, Hannity, Laura Ingraham, Tucker Carlson, Limbaugh, Tea Party, Drudge, Anne Coulter and many, many more.

                Reply

                  • Not sure if you are being ironic here redders? I will assume you are not. Yes they are amongst Ukraine’s most dangerous enemies. They are hugely influential in America and generate $billions in ad revenue. There is nothing like them in Britain in terms of sheer size. Britain has Corbyn, Milne, David Icke, Farage, George Galloway and Alex Salmond. But they are small beer compared to the US ones I listed.
                    If you read Breitbart now, you will see as usual that it is full of putlerite bullshit such as ‘Flynn is innocent’.
                    Apart from the kremlin murder gang, the people who have inflicted the most damage on Ukraine are Trump man Manafort, the US media figures I listed and Russian agents the Pauls.

                    Reply

                • Trump is contantly complaining about Fox, calling for a boycott. Trump is not buddies with any news outlet. Many claim to support Trump, but he does not seem to be supporting them.

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                  • Fox has three filthy putler ass-lickers : Ingraham, Carlson and Hannity. All are slavishly pro-Trump, so I would doubt that he has any qualms with them. They are Fox’s biggest stars. Then you have Alex Jones: Trump is a huge fan and even appears on his putinioid shitshow.
                    Trump’s biggest media supporter is Michael Savage; they have been close friends from way back. They and their wives frequently get together at Mar-a-Lago, where no doubt Savage scrambles Trump’s brains with anti-Ukraine hatred and pro-putler shit.
                    Savage is actually Russian, but keeps that quiet. Those fucks are so close that Savage even rides on Air Force One.
                    I have never heard trump call for a Fox boycott. The one he hates is CNN. Fox is very pro-Trump.

                    Reply

                    • Haha! The ‘powerful light’ and ‘disinfectant injections’ would have been side-splitting were the subject not so desperately serious. But still I see Hannity and Ingraham are still kissing his ass! The third one of the putler trio:Tucker Carlson, actually stated live on Fox that he was ‘rooting for Russia’ in its conflict with Ukraine. I’d like to punch his face in for that one.
                      I don’t think that his feud with Fox will last, since they are crucial for his re-election. Unless of course the Murdochs have switched allegiance, which is always possible. The old fartarse married that leftie hag Jerry Hall, so who knows?

                    • How big is Pat Buchanan in the states these days? He’s a massive putlerite. On his website from last year is this groveling bullshit:
                      ‘What may be said of Putin?

                      ‘He is no Stalin, no Communist ideologue, but rather a Russian nationalist who seeks the return of her lost peoples to the Motherland, and, seeing his country as a great power, wants NATO out of his front yard.’

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