Russia has finally released the contents of its so-called “peace memorandum”—but only after dragging Ukraine through weeks of delays, stalling tactics, and intensifying attacks. Unlike Ukraine and its allies, who’ve repeatedly offered a 30-day unconditional ceasefire as a foundation for real negotiations, Russia continues to game the process, sending low-level delegates and producing demands that are eerily unchanged.

And those demands? They read less like terms for peace and more like a script for Ukraine’s surrender.

What Russia Wants:

• Complete withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from Zaporizhzhia, Luhansk, Donetsk, and Kherson (noting that they do not currently control all of these territories!).
• Recognition of Crimea and Donbas and all of the above as Russian territory.
• An end to Western military support.
• Ukrainian neutrality, reduced military, and non-nuclear status.
• No reparations or compensation for the destruction Russia has caused.
• UN-approved peace treaty overseen by a Security Council where Russia holds veto power.
• Economic concessions: restoration of gas transit and full trade ties.
• Lifting restrictions on the Moscow-affiliated Orthodox Church (a known haven for Russian spies).
• Ban on glorification of Nazism—a familiar smear Russia uses with zero credibility.

In short, Russia wants Ukraine to disarm, hand over land, give up its sovereignty, and allow Russia to profit while continuing to threaten Europe. They’re asking Ukraine to guarantee their own future defeat.

And in the background? Russia continues to launch record-breaking attacks, including waves of Shahed drones slamming into civilian areas, killing and maiming innocents.

This isn’t peace—it’s extortion.

But Ukraine Isn’t Powerless

While Russia played games at the negotiating table, Ukraine made history on June 1st. In a stunning military operation, $400 low-cost FPV drones took out a fleet of high-value Russian bombers worth billions. These bombers weren’t parked showpieces—they were being loaded for another mass missile assault on Ukrainian cities.

• These were legitimate military targets.
• The operation prevented mass civilian casualties.
• No Russian lives were lost, unlike Russia’s recent strikes that killed dozens.

Many of those bombers were part of Russia’s nuclear delivery capacity. Ukraine, with its limited tools, just made the whole world a little safer.

The Long Arc

History will judge not just the outcomes of this conflict, but how we responded when faced with clear moral choices. The Russian memorandum wasn’t a peace proposal—it was a demand for capitulation dressed in diplomatic language. Recognising this distinction isn’t about taking sides; it’s about understanding that some compromises don’t create peace—they merely postpone the next war.

As I write this, families across Ukraine are preparing for another night, uncertain what dawn might bring. Their resilience continues to illuminate truths about human dignity that no memorandum can extinguish. In their determination to remain free, they’re fighting for principles that extend far beyond their borders.

The weight of false peace is heavier than the burden of just resistance. Sometimes, the most compassionate response to demands for surrender is a quiet, firm refusal—backed by $400 drones that can change the world.

What Can We Do?

🇺🇦 Support relief efforts for civilians and medics on the ground:
👉 www.passingthrough.net/donating

📢 Raise your voice:

• Demand your government close the loophole that allows refined Russian oil into Australian markets—$5.5 billion of our money has helped finance this war.
• Ask for more support to Ukraine and less tolerance for Putin’s tactics.

🙏 Pray for a just peace—not one dictated by the invader, but one that ensures long-term safety for Ukraine and the world.

Ukraine doesn’t need to fold. It needs the free world to stop flinching.