With peace on lips, Ukraine activist in India to 'save the planet, stop the war'
Jul 19, 2023
Siliguri (West Bengal) [India], July 19 : Even as the Russia-Ukraine conflict rages on, claiming the lives of more than 40,000 civilians, Ivanko Bobeiko, a 30-year-old Ukrainian climate activist has been traveling to the remotest corners of India with the message ‘Save the planet, stop the war’.
Speaking to ANI, Bobeiko said his mission is to urge the people of India to help Ukraine come out of the ongoing strife and bloodshed and also work towards putting an end to the conflict, which has been raging for over a year.
Ivanko added that he was hopeful that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will use his good personal equations and working relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin to restore peace to his troubled country.
Significantly, PM Modi met and also had telephone conversations with Russian President Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky, stressing the need to negotiate an immediate end of hostilities and lasting peace through dialogue and diplomacy.
A German teacher in Ukraine, Ivanko was also an ambassador for the German Climate Foundation.
Since his childhood, he had been interested in issues pertaining to human welfare, including climate, hunger, war, and education.
Even in the initial stages of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Ivanko took the initiative to supply daily needs to the affected people and even helped his father care for those injured in the fighting.
Ivanko said the deaths and destruction in his homeland left him heartbroken and he decided to embark on a visit to India in search of peace through Yoga and meditation.
He added that he had since made it his missing to travel to the length and breadth of India and spread his message of peace.
Over the last three months, Ivanko said he visited several places in India including Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Agra, and Tamil Nadu.
Adding that he arrived in Siliguri on his way to the Northeast, the activist also shared his experiences with people he met during his travels.
